Chapter 18
After taking Geneva home, Nick took Jillian out to eat to celebrate Travis being found before they went back to the McGinty house. He walked her to the guesthouse as they enjoyed the sunset.
“Now that we’ve found Travis and it looks like I’m no longer in danger does that mean you will be leaving tomorrow?” she asked.
“I’ll be leaving tonight,” he said. “There’s no reason for me to stay in the guest room now that the McGinty’s have returned from the honeymoon. They need their privacy.”
“I wish you didn’t have to go so soon,” Jillian said leaning against her front door.
“It isn’t as if I am going that far away,” he said. “I live in town. We just didn’t meet until I took this case. I’d like to see you again if you are interested in keeping in touch.”
“Yes,” she said and smiled brightly. “I am most interested.”
“Good.”
“You want to come in for a drink or something?” she asked.
“I’d rather see if Mrs. Hudson might have baked a pie in our absence today,” he grinned. “I’m sure going to miss that.”
Jillian laughed. “I guess I better learn how to bake.”
“That sounds like a plan,” he agreed, and he leaned in to kiss her.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and responded to the kiss with one of her own and when they broke apart, they were breathless.
He leaned his forehead against hers. “As much as I’d like to come in and have a drink and sit on that pretty sofa with you kissing for hours, I’d better leave now. I need to go pack my things and get out of the house before the McGinty’s come home.
“I understand,” she replied.
“But I’ll call you and we will make plans to go out again on your next night off.”
“I’d like that very much,” she said.
“That is, if Travis will let you out of his sight,” he teased. “He seems to enjoy having his Jilly around.”
She giggled. “I don’t know why he started calling me that again.
He hasn’t done that since he was five years old.
Jillian was too hard for him to say when he was little and so he called me Jilly.
Then he started school, and he made a point of saying my full name because he said he was no longer a baby. ”
“I’m sure that was the influence of other little boys in his grade,” Nick said, taking a step back. “Go ahead and unlock your door and let me see you inside for the night.”
“Okay.” She turned and punched in her code, opening the door and stepping across the threshold, then turned back and smiled at him brightly, giving him a two-finger salute. “I’ll be seeing you, Bardou.”
“You too, Grant.”
She sighed, watching him go up the walk until he disappeared into the house and then stepped inside, to close the door and lock it. Exhaustion overtook her and she limped to her bedroom.
She woke the next morning to her phone ringing. She reached over and saw that it was Nick. “Good morning.
“Good morning. Hope I didn’t wake you, but I just got intel from some of my Navy buddies that a woman washed up on shore near the port.
No identification yet. But I couldn’t help overhearing Geneva last night talking to Nathan.
She said how she feared her attorney had been killed along with that judge from what her mother said. ”
“Yes, she did say that when she saw I wasn’t dead,” Jillian said. “I didn’t realize you wasn’t standing close enough to hear that conversation. That means you don’t know that they were behind my muggings and hit and run.”
“No. I didn’t realize that, why didn’t you say something?” Nick asked.
“I guess it was small potatoes in comparison to us getting Travis back,” she said.
“Jillian, you are just as important to the McGinty family as Travis. This matters,” Nick said.
She frowned noticing he hadn’t said she was important to him. But perhaps that was a declaration for a later time. “I’m the nanny.”
“But you were Nathan’s friend too from what you told me,” Nick pointed out. “I know he would care to know this fact. He said at the hospital that whoever did the hit and run needed to pay.”
“And they will. I’m sure of it,” she said.
“Is Travis coming home from the hospital today?” he asked.
“I hope so, but I haven’t heard yet. I haven’t been up to the main house this morning.”
“Let me know if he does, I want to bring him a present,” Nick said. “And see you again.”
“Are you bringing him a present just to see me?” she asked.
“Maybe,” he said.
Now that made her smile. “I’ll let you know as soon as I find out.”
“Talk to you then,” he said before the line went dead.
She got out of bed, showered, and got dressed before going up to the main house. The kitchen smelled heavenly. Mrs. Hudson had been baking muffins and cookies from the look of the tiered racks on the island.
“Travis will be home soon,” Mrs. Hudson cooed. “They just left to go get him. Sit at the table and I’ll bring you some orange juice and a muffin.”
Jillian nodded and did as she asked. “That’s wonderful.”
Mrs. Hudson sat the glass and plate in front of her. “Detective Simons called and said he’d be by to talk to you again. He’s following up about your hit and run.”
“Okay,” she said and dialed Nick’s number. As soon as he answered she let him know what she found out.
“He’ll be home shortly if you want to come over anytime.”
“Can do,” Nick said. “I just got back from a run. I’ll shower and get changed then I’ll come.”
“Sounds good.”
“Nick coming by?” Mrs. Hudson asked.
“Yes, he has a gift for Travis,” Jillian said. “And I’m sure he’ll want one of these muffins. He was lamenting last night how he was going to miss your baking now that he has left the premises.”
Mrs. Hudson beamed. “I’ll have to make him a pie then to take home with him.”
An hour later, Detectives Simons and Kohl arrived at the McGinty house. Mrs. Hudson showed them into the formal living room and Jillian joined them.
“How did you sleep last night?” Simons asked. “Better than you have been, I’m sure now that Travis has been found.”
“Yes. I suppose,” she said. “Mrs. Hudson said you had follow-up questions about my hit and run?”
“Not really questions,” Simons began, “but we wanted to let you know that we have a full confession from Robert and Judy Reyes that they hired Delvecchio to orchestrate the muggings and then when that failed they told him to take you out. We reviewed the surveillance video on the hit and run, and we can clearly identify Delvecchio as the driver of the car.”
“I see. And since he is dead, what happens?” Jillian asked.
“Judy and Robert will be charged with facilitating a murder attempt on you,” Kohl said and smiled at her.
“Did they know about Wizard and Slick?” Jillian asked. “Are those boys in danger?”
Simons chuckled. “We tell you that the Reyes’ are going down for trying to kill you and you’re concerned out those two?”
“It’s clear they need looking after even if they are over eighteen,” she said.
Simons nodded. “Indeed, they do, but don’t you worry. Geneva has hired them an excellent attorney and he’s working on a plea deal with the District Attorney’s office as we speak.”
“Really?” Jillian said.
“Yes, we spoke with her last night before heading to the hospital to speak with Travis and his father again,” Simons explained.
“And when she learned about them she immediately wanted to help them get out of this mess. She said it was the least she could do. They didn’t need their lives ruined by a bad choice like she’d made trusting her doctor when he gave her the opioids.
They trusted Delvecchio, which was their first mistake, but they’re kind of babes in the woods if you get my meaning. ”
“Well,” Jillian said, sitting back against the cushions. “I have to hand it to Geneva; she really has turned her life around.”
“The DA will be in touch about you testifying against Robert and Judy in the near future,” Kohl added.
A wave of relief spread over Jillian. “So, it’s over?” she asked.
“Maybe,” Simons said. “Nick called and told us about the dead woman that was found washed up at the Navy pier. We’re going there now to see if it might be Amber Collins, Geneva’s divorce attorney.
Her husband reported her missing while they were on a cruise vacation.
He thought she got off at a port stop and missed getting back on.
It was the last stop so he thought she just flew back home when he couldn’t reach her cellphone. ”
“Why hadn’t this made the news?” Jillian asked.
“Their cruise just docked yesterday, and he came straight to the station this morning to report her missing when she wasn’t waiting for him at home,” Simons explained.
“This is sounding crazier by the minute,” Jillian declared. “I don’t understand why they’d go after the judge or the attorney. Me, I get, I was trying to replace their daughter with Travis in their thinking.”
“Crazy is as crazy does,” Kohl said. “Thanks for your help with the investigation. Giving us access to Travis’ medical records and for being involved when we needed you.”
“Yes, you were a big help, so was Nick,” Simons said. “By the way, where is he?”
The doorbell rang and Mrs. Hudson’s footsteps could be heard making a beeline for the front door.
“He stayed at his place last night. He’s coming over to see Travis soon,” Jillian told them as she listened for a familiar voice.
“I think he’s here,” Kohl said.
She turned and saw Mrs. Hudson bringing Nick into the living room before heading back to the kitchen. Jillian smiled. He carried a wrapped package and brought it over to her and then he shook both detectives’ hands.
“Good to see you again,” he said. “I hope this doesn’t mean Jillian is still in danger?”
“No,” Simons said. “We just came to give her the news that her case is closed, and she’ll be hearing from the DA about a trial date to testify.”
“Ah, then that is good news,” Nick said.
“Isn’t it?” Jillian said. “But if that is all you had to tell me, you could have called. There was no need to make a special trip to see me.”
“And miss seeing your face when we told you the details?” Simons said. “Wouldn’t have missed it.”
She smiled. “I hope I didn’t disappoint then.”
“Not at all,” Simons said. “We’ll show ourselves out.”
When they were gone, Nick settled on the couch beside her, taking the present and putting it on the other side of him. “What all did they say?”
She told him everything, even the information about Amber Collins going missing from her cruise vacation.
“That means Delvecchio couldn’t have been the one who was responsible. He couldn’t be two places at once,” Nick said. “He had to have hired someone to go on the cruise with the couple and take her out.”
“I’m sure Simons and Kohl will come to the same conclusion, but with Delvecchio murdered they may never learn who was working for him.”
“I’m just glad this is all behind us,” Nick said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and drawing her near. “That Travis is back with his father, and it sounds like from what Nathan was saying to Geneva last night, there is a good chance she’ll be able to start seeing her son again.”
“I’m glad too, but most importantly, I’m glad you were assigned to keep me safe and were here with me through it all,” Jillian said. And she leaned forward and kissed him.
The front door opened, and scampering feet broke their kiss.
“Jilly, I’m home!” Travis called and he ran to her, throwing himself into her arms.
She hugged him tight. “I’m so glad.”
“Is this your boyfriend?” Travis asked, pulling away from her.
“Yep,” Nick said before Jillian could respond. “Is that okay?”
Travis slowly nodded, then his eyes grew wide. “Is that present for me?”
“It is,” Nick said, picking it up and handing it to him. “Welcome home.”
The boy tore the wrapping paper off in a flash to expose the detective’s kit.
“Wow, it comes with a badge, handcuffs, and everything,” Travis exclaimed. “I can’t wait to show Carlos.”
They laughed and watched him head off to his room to play.
“That was nice of you,” Jillian said.
“I thought he might be a little curious into investigations after what happened,” Nick explained. “And if not, it might direct him into a career path.”
“That might not be a bad idea,” she said. “But I would have thought you’d have chosen something to do with the Army or the JAG core.”
“Not so easy to find in the toy aisle,” Nick said.
Nathan and Abby came into the room, holding hands and took their places on the loveseat.
“I was hoping he’d consider a path in the military,” Nathan said. “Like father, like son.”
“He’s only eight, do we have to plan his future so soon?” Abby asked.
“No,” Nathan, Jillian and Nick said at once. And they all laughed.
Jillian liked how the day had started out. So much better than it had last week when she ended up in the ER and again in the hospital. Things were changing quickly in the McGinty household, and she had to wonder as they sat chatting, what else was in store for them.
“Jilly!” Travis called as he ran down the stairs. “Wanna be the bad girl and get arrested?”
She laughed and got up from the couch, hobbling toward him. “Not sure I’ll get too far away with this leg.”
“About that…” Travis said. “What did you do this time? Do I need to hire you a bodyguard?”
“She already has one,” Nick said, coming up behind her.
“Good,” Travis said. “She’s had too many accidents lately.”
Nick pulled her back against him and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her hair. “Don’t I know it.”