Common Enemy (10 page)

Jordan was reaching her breaking point. Connor had to do something. “Hello. Is this Mr. Butler?” he asked.

“Who the hell is this?” Bobby Ray’s voice raised several octaves.

“My name is Connor McCrae. I’m Ms. Holbrook’s legal counsel. I don’t know if you’re aware, Mr. Butler, that your proposal is illegal. It’s called extortion. The court won’t look kindly on this.” Connor’s voice stayed low and steady.

“You can’t prove anything. I’ll deny I ever called.”

“Well, you certainly could do that, but your call is being recorded on Ms. Holbrook’s phone records. Good thing I decided to attach a recording devise to her phone. I wanted you to be aware of that. We should probably save any further conversation for the courtroom. I’m looking forward to meeting you there. I’ve heard so much about you. Have a nice day, Mr. Butler.”

As soon as he hung up the phone, he ran toward the stairs to find Jordan. They almost collided in the middle of the living room.

“Do you think he bought it?” Jordan asked with wide eyes.

“I sure hope so. By the way, you were great.” He grabbed her into a bear hug and spun her around. When her feet touched the floor he was kissing her.

The day had started out badly, but Bobby Ray’s voice had done something to Jordan. She tore through the house like a tornado. The beds were changed, laundry was washed and floors were scrubbed within an inch of their lives. The whole time she ranted about the audacity of Bobby Ray’s proposal.

“How dare he think I would just hand over everything that my grandparents worked so hard for? Then, to suggest I embezzle money from the bank. He must be out of his mind. And, if he honestly thinks he’ll ever lay a finger on my daughter, he’ll have a fight on his hands like he’s never seen before. I’ll kill the son of a bitch.”

“Slow down sport, Lizzy is liable to hear you,” Connor said in a stage whisper. “I think you rubbed the finish off the floor in that spot.”

Carrying her mop bucket to the back door, Jordan tossed the dirty water on a hydrangea bush by the steps. She turned back to Connor not looking as brave as the moment before. “What am I going to do, Connor? I can’t afford to make any mistakes. I don’t even have a lawyer.”

“I made a few arrangements while you were in the twilight zone. Don’t worry. We’ll be ready. The first thing we’ll do is drive Lizzy to stay with the Douglases. If he drops by, he won’t find her here. Then I’ll take you to your hair appointment. I want you to look perfect when we walk into that courtroom.”

“I agree, and I think I’ll be ready. I’m working on getting myself back together.” Jordan paused. “That thing you call the twilight zone is a relapse of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I was diagnosed after the robbery and trial.”

PTSD, he should have recognized the signs. He still had the nightmares caused by the same condition, caused by the same man. Connor closed his eyes and pressed his fist against his forehead, wishing he could punch himself and not look like an idiot.

“I really appreciate you standing by me like this, Connor. I know being in the same room with that psycho will be as tough for you as it will be for me.”

“Don’t give it another thought.” Suddenly Connor was filled with determination. “He’ll be on my turf this time. He doesn’t have any idea what he’s getting into.”

Connor’s cell phone rang and he pulled it from his pocket.

“You have a cell phone?” Jordan was stunned. “When did you return to civilization?”

Connor rolled his eyes and walked outside before he answered the call. “McCrae here...”

“Hey, boss, it’s Ted. I’ve been having a hard time following this guy and backtracking his movements at the same time, but I think I’ve got something for you. He left the prison with a hooker named Doris Pritchett. No one has seen her since, but the idiot is driving her car. For all I know, she could be in the trunk. He has another woman with him now. I don’t know who she is yet, but I have a good idea where to look. Stay on the lookout for a small, young, Hispanic woman with shoulder length hair and lots of bruises. This guy is a real animal, but she seems to like it. I’m thinking, he may try to send her into places he can’t go.”

“Yeah, that’s good to know.” Connor made a mental note to put out the word. “What’s he been up to?”

“He’s looking for a job. He has an apartment in Venice. I don’t know where the money is coming from yet. He’s changed his appearance and upgraded his style. I’ll send some pictures. As a matter-of-fact, I can fax one over now. Can I use the fax number you gave John?”

Connor thought for a minute. Where did he get all that money? “Do that,” he said. “I don’t want any surprises. Have you found out who his lawyer is?”

“Yeah, his name is on the list John faxed to you.”

“I figured he’d visited him in the prison.”

“Nope, he was an inmate there, just got out six months ago. He did time for white-collar stuff. It seems like he should have been disbarred.”

“Not necessarily, but I intend to look into it.”

“You know,” Ted added. “All this back and forth would go a lot easier if you used the internet features on your phone. I could just e-mail the pictures to you.”

“I’m sure it would be easier for you, Ted, but not me.” Connor was embarrassed. “Do you know how much technology has changed in the last five years? I had to read an owner’s manual to figure out how to turn this damn phone on.”

“Ha, it sounds like you’re the one who was locked away all that time.”

“I guess, in a way, I was.”

“Well, you’re a smart guy. You’ll catch on quick. I’m just amazed that you found a fax machine still in use. I hope it belongs to someone you can trust.”

“For some odd reason, I believe I can trust this person with my life. And you know that’s not something that comes easy for me.”

“You know John and I always have your back, boss.”

“I’m not your boss, Ted.”

“Old habits are hard to break. I sure am glad you’re back.”

“The jury is still out on that. Don’t get too used to me.”

“Whatever. I’ll talk to you later.”

Connor ended the call and walked back into the house. “Do you have a suitcase packed for Lizzy?” he asked Jordan.

“You’re not going to tell me about the cell phone? What are you up to? I know I’ve been in my shell lately, but you seem like a different man. I can’t help but feel a little weird around you suddenly.” She had a concerned frown on her face.

“I’m only doing what’s needed to keep you and Lizzy safe. I don’t want to control you or scare you. This will all be over soon. I promise.”

“Why would you say that, about controlling me? I never said you’d tried to control me.”

When he turned away, she circled around to stand in front of him.

“Because that’s what you’ve been expecting lately. You’ve reverted to your old life. I’ve made every decision in this house since you got those papers in the mail. I don’t want that role, Jordan.”

“Do you really think that is what I’ve been doing?” Her frown deepened.

“I know it is. I’m glad to help you. But I don’t want to own you.”

“Exactly what role do you want, Connor?”

“We have a job to do, a big one. It would be a lot easier if we worked together, like partners.”

“Okay then partner, tell me what you’re up to.”

“Wait until we’re alone tonight.” He smiled, thinking about being alone with her again. “We’ll cook supper together and I’ll tell you all about it.”

Chapter Twelve

Joyce had a typical beauty salon, cheesy glamour posters on the walls and the smell of permanent wave solution and nail polish. She ran from the back room wearing her usual tight spandex and a high curly hairdo wrapped with a large purple scarf.

“I finally get to play with all that wonderful hair. Sit down and let me do my magic.” She put her largest brush to use on Jordan’s copper curls. “How do you want it?”

Jordan turned to Connor in cold fear.

“Don’t look at me. I don’t know about this stuff,” he defended.

“Oh, stop the drama.” Joyce laughed. “I don’t want to change it too much. I mostly just wanted to spend some time with you. I’ll take off a few dead inches and give you a super conditioning treatment. It’ll do wonders for you. We’ll work on your nails and make-up, too. It’s on the house. Being Patty’s girl makes you the same as family.”

“You really knew my mom well?” Jordan asked.

“I sure did, honey. Sit down and I’ll tell you all about it.”

When Jordan leaned back in the shampoo sink she spotted Connor from the corner of her eye. He picked up a few pages from the fax machine behind the counter and slid them inside a manila folder. She was anxious to find out what he was up to, but the next little while would be spent on another mystery in her life.

“Your momma and I were like two peas in a pod.” Joyce sighed. “We were crazy in high school. We went to all the ballgames and double-dated. My folks were just as strict as Patty’s, but we always seemed to find a way around them. Not that they were wrong, mind you. We would have both been better off if we’d listened to them better.”

“What was my mom like back then?” Jordan asked.

“She was pretty and outgoing. Not an enemy in the world. We were both boy crazy, though. That’s every girl’s downfall, I guess. That’s when we start making bad decisions.” Joyce finished washing her hair and moved her to the styling chair.

“Yeah, I guess I can relate to that.” Jordan watched Connor sneak out of the salon, big chicken. “Why did my mom leave Mayville? Did you ever hear from her after that?”

“Sure I did. We stayed in touch for a long time.”

“Then maybe you know who my father is!”

“Of course I do, honey. Your momma told me everything. I guess it’s about time someone told you.”

Joyce told her a tale of a young girl and her secret love affair with a soldier. Her despair and loneliness after her soldier was sent overseas and died a short time later. How the girl gave their baby up when she couldn’t fill the void his loss left in her heart.

After a good cry, Jordan felt cleansed. She was
somebody
now. She was the daughter of U. S. Army Sgt. Troy Jordan, lost in action just weeks before her birth.

“What’s kept you in Mayville all these years?” Jordan asked to lighten the mood.

“My daddy took off with a younger woman when I was about nineteen and my momma just wasn’t the same after that. I still live with her. Then, Arnold Coleman and I started keeping company a few years back. Nothings ever come of it. He only had eyes for your grandma. I don’t have much of a life. I live through all the women who sit in this chair, but that can be pretty interesting sometimes.”

“You’re welcome at my house anytime. Maybe we could get together for lunch once in a while,” Jordan offered.

“Oh, that’s so sweet of you, but you don’t want to hang out with an old broad like me.”

“Are you kidding? You’re the closest thing to family I have. I promise not to call you Aunt Joyce, but I can’t speak for Lizzy.”

Joyce grabbed Jordan into a hug then stepped back to turn the chair toward the mirror.

“Oh, Joyce, I love it!”

It was late in the afternoon when they finished and Connor returned to take her home. “Joyce, you must be a miracle worker,” he claimed. “I don’t know how else you could improve on perfection.”

Staring at her on the ride home had almost caused him to run off the road twice. Finally, he pulled his van behind the barn.

Two big, sweaty, mean looking boys were hammering new wood planks to the barn where the broken ones had been removed.

“Who are those boys?” Jordan looked them over suspiciously.

“Oh, they’re the Donahue twins, Luke and Leon. They’ve been helping me out.” Connor grinned. “Believe it or not, they’re nice kids. They just need to be kept busy.”

“I’ll go inside and make them some iced tea and sandwiches. Boys that size always need something to eat.”

In the kitchen, she added slices of apple pie to the tray of ham sandwiches and tea. She walked out to the barn to find the boys putting away their tools.

“You can’t leave without having something to eat. It looks like you’ve put in a lot of hard work today.”

They both looked at the ground as they shuffled their feet.

“Thank you, ma’am, but momma says we’re not to bother you. Mr. McCrae has already paid us for today.”

“It’s no bother. I’d hate to throw all this out,” she coaxed.

“We wouldn’t want you to have to do that, ma’am,” the other boy mumbled. “I am a little hungry.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” the first brother added.

Jordan set down the tray and walked back to the house. In the reflection of the window she saw them look at each other with big smiles.

“Now I see why McCrae hangs around here,” one of them said.”

“Yeah, the food looks good too.”

****

Connor inspected their work as the twins ate and set the empty tray of dishes on the back steps. Soon, they retrieved their dirt bikes from the barn and headed home.

Jordan chopped vegetables for a salad as he rolled meatballs at the table beside her. A pot of spaghetti sauce simmered on the back of the stove.

“What did you and Joyce talk about all that time?” he asked.

“We talked about my parents.”

“Parents, as in two, a pair? What did you find out?”

Jordan repeated their conversation while she finished the salad and set the table. Connor listened intently from the stove. He expected tears, but instead she wore a satisfied smile.

“It’s been a big day for you. I think we should celebrate.” He found a bottle of red wine in the pantry and a set of tapered candles in the china cabinet. The sun was setting as he watched her eat. She seemed to be daydreaming. Was she thinking about her parents, her ex-husband? Was she missing Lizzy? “You’re awfully quiet tonight. What are you thinking about?”

Her answer surprised him, “I was thinking that I’d like to have more children, maybe two. Do you think this house is big enough for a family that size?”

“Are you thinking about getting married? You know a man can be handy with a thing like that.”

“I hope to someday. Do you think I’m too old to have more babies?” She frowned.