Into the Future: A Callahan Novel (7 page)

“Good.  I can wring his handsome neck,” his mother said.  “The nerve trying to trump up charges.  Of course, he hadn’t told me a thing about this.”

“When was the last time he was here?”

“Maybe two or three weeks.  He came and went through every box in the house before I finally kicked him out.  You should have seen the mess he made.  Just ridiculous.  A grown man, acting like a child.”

Lizzy laughed.  That sounded like Paul.  He would leave a big mess and expect someone else to clean it up.  “Well thank you, Bea.  We just had lunch so the kids should be good for a while.  Let me know if you want me to pick them up before tomorrow afternoon.”  Lizzy rose, and Tristan followed suit.  She walk to the staircase and called for the kids. 

They ran down the stairs, hugged their mother and Tristan, then headed back upstairs.  Once Lizzy and Tristan said their goodbyes to Beatrice, they went outside to Tristan’s BMW. 

Lizzy noticed the car and the two men inside the black sedan.  Definitely government issued.  She wondered if Cam’s cousins knew those guys.  She was sure going to ask that night over dinner.

The next stop was Lizzy’s house.  She had to see for herself what was on that video game.  One step inside and she felt something was in the house. 

“Something doesn’t fell right, Tristan,” she said quietly, closing the front door.  She had dropped her car off a few hours before, but hadn’t went inside.  “It feels like something bad had happened.

“Well you know the kids are fine.  Why don’t I call someone to go through the house?  I don’t have a gun, baby.  I can call Brad to give it the once over.  He doesn’t live that far.”

She wanted to shake her head and tell him that she could handle her own business, but felt herself agreeing.  The impending doom wouldn’t go away.  “Sounds good.  I’ll just check on Izzy and my parents while you’re doing that.”

They walked back to Tristan’s car and made their respective calls.  Izzy was fine and was taking a nap.  Her parents were also fine.  She even called Beatrice and they were fine.

“The black car shot out of here about ten minutes ago,” she told Lizzy. 

“Thanks, Bea.  I’ll let you know if I find out anything.”  She ended the call.

Tristan looked at her with those big blue eyes.  “Brad say he can be here in about ten minutes and not to go into the house.”

“Okay.  Everyone is fine.  Bea says the black car isn’t there anymore.”

“I hope the two events are related,” Tristan said. 

“Why?”

“For some reason the federal agents aren’t searching for Paul because they left his mother’s home and you have a funny feeling about your house.”

Oh she so hated when he connected the dots.  Especially when it involves her house.  “I hope Brad gets here fast.”

He looked in his rearview mirror.  “He’s driving up now.”  Tristan got out of the car to greet his friend. 

Lizzy also got out of the car.  She’d met Brad before at Cam and Izzy’s wedding a few months, prior.  He was handsome, no doubt.  Blessed with Irish and African-American genes, Brad Callahan was gorgeous.  And those blue-green eyes didn’t hurt at all, or the fact he was built like a linebacker.

“Hey man,” Tristan said, shaking his hand.  “Thanks for coming so quickly.”

“I was on my way to Mom’s. Erica and the baby are coming home today.  So they’re staying at Mom’s for a minute. Chris is in the middle of some big case on the other side of the world.”

“Oh, man,” Tristan said.  “He missed the birth. Boy or girl?”

“Girl.  She named her after my sister, Cadence.  Yes, he was bummed about missing it.  She was a few weeks early and he figured he’d have it wrapped up before she had the baby.  But you know how that goes.”

“Well no, but I can imagine,” Tristan said.  “You remember Lizzy.”  He motioned toward here. 

“Sure.  Hi, Lizzy.”  He shook her hand.  “How are you?”

“I’m much better now.  Thanks.”

They all stared at the large two story home.  “Tristan said, you’re getting a negative vibe about the place,” Brad said. 

“Yes, I took one step inside and things didn’t feel right.  My car is in the garage and it hasn’t been touch.  Once I stepped inside the house, I got a bad feeling.”

Brad nodded, reached around his back and pulled out a gun.  He started walking toward the house.  “I’m going to need you two to stay out here until I call all clear.”

“Okay,” Tristan said, grabbing Lizzy’s hand.

Lizzy watched Brad disappear inside the house.  “So does he always carry a gun?  I mean I know he’s an agent, but I thought he was behind a desk and issued orders.”

“To a point, yes.  He’s still an FBI agent.  He doesn’t go out much, but he’s still pretty sharp. In fact, all his brothers are pretty good with a gun.  Even Sean.”

She had also met Sean, the CIA counterterrorist analyst.  Sean had the highest security clearance of anyone she’d ever met.  Rumor had it that Sean was at the White House weekly.   Sean also look the least like an agent.  “I know, I met him at the wedding, too.”

Tristan wrapped his arms around her.  “I want you to know I’m for whatever you need.”

“Thank you, Tristan.  That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.”  She placed her hands on top of his and leaned back against him. 

Tristan knew the minute Brad exited the house, there was going to be trouble.  He braced himself for the worst as his best friend since forever neared them. 

Brad re-holstered his gun and took out his cell phone.  The first call was to his mother.  “Mom, tell Josie I’m going to be late.  Something came up and I have to handle it. Okay, I’ll explain later.”  He ended the call. His next call was to an agent. “I need you here now.”  He rattled off Lizzy’s address and ended the call.  Now he faced the couple. 

“Lizzy, I’m going to need to ask you a few questions.”

She nodded.  “What’s wrong with my house?”

“When is the last time you talk to Paul?”

“Wednesday.”

“What kind of relationship do you have with your ex-husband?”

“Not good.  He reported me to CPS, among other things.”

He felt her nervousness or tension.  He held her tighter against his body, hoping to block out the impending doom that hovered over them like a rain cloud.

Brad took a deep breath.   “First of all, I found Paul.  He was in one of the bedrooms.  Unfortunately, he’s dead.  Two bullet wounds to the head.”

A sob escaped her lips.  “What is he doing in my house?”

“That’s a good question,” Brad said.  “He’s probably been dead about an hour.  The shots are clean, and nothing else looks out of order. It was one of the kids’s room.  From the looks of it, I would say it was your son’s.”

Tristan wanted to inspect the room himself.  He also wanted to see if the disc was still there.  Lizzy also needed comforting.  Then there was the kids.  What on earth could he say to those young children?  He looked down at Lizzy, but she wasn’t a mass of tears.  Sure she had the odd tear running down her beautiful face, but little else.  “Baby, are you okay?”

She turned in his arms and faced him.  “Yes, I’m okay.  I feel sorry for the kids and his mother. I really want to see if that disc is still here.  Why would someone kill him here?”

Brad shrugged.  “That was a hit.  Someone must have been following him.  Two shots to the head is a hit.  Know of anyone that would want to put a hit on your ex?”

“Besides me? No.  I do know the company he’s working for is being investigated.”

“More like, his department,” Brad said.  “According to our sources, there’s about four million dollars missing and he was the prime suspect.  The company let him go about three months ago.”

“What?” Lizzy asked.  “He never said anything about being fired.”

“Baby, why would he tell you?”  Tristan knew Paul’s child support payments were well below what he should have paid. 

“You’re right.  He has no reason to tell me.  He didn’t pay the kids insurance, and his child support payments were taken out of his checking account.  This sounds so much like him.”

Tristan never liked Paul, but surely hadn’t wanted this kind of end for the man.  He glanced in Brad’s direction.  “So what happens now?”

“I already called the police.  So they should be here soon.  I would suggest, once the police give the house the once over, Lizzy, you should bunk with Tristan.”

“You mean I won’t have access to my own house?”

“Not while there’s ongoing investigation,” Tristan said. 

“I have children, I’ll go to my parents,” she said. 

Tristan knew that was the sensible thing to do, but he actually wanted her and the kids under his roof.  Besides, he knew she wouldn’t survive long under her parents roof.  “Honey, I don’t mind. I have plenty of room and their school isn’t that far away.”

“Let me think about it.  I don’t have to do anything right now.”  She stared at the house.  “I can’t believe this happened.  I mean, I can believe it, but not in my house.  I bought a new house to get rid of the negative energy that was my marriage, and the dog ends up getting killed in my house.”

“I know, baby.  Just not fair.”  He kissed her forehead.  “You want to call his mother?”

She shook her head.  “Not really?”  She turned those big brown eyes on him.  “Would you mind?”

“No baby, I don’t mind.”  He’d walk on hot coals for her. 

TEN

  Lizzy watched Tristan as he moved around his living room, trying his best to as quiet as possible. She was resting on his comfortable couch, nursing her migraine.  The afternoon had flown passed in a blur. 

Tristan had spoken with Beatrice and he’d offered to come get the kids, but Bea wanted them to stay.  She’d even volunteered to tell the children, but Lizzy felt that was her duty. She and Tristan arrived at Bea’s and Lizzy told her children that their father had died.  She hadn’t wanted to tell them where or why, but her children were persistent. They wouldn’t let up until she told them he had been shot in PJ’s room.

Their reaction shocked her.  She’d expected tears, and hysteria, but she got a simple nod.  She’d offered to come get them, but they refused.  “We’d better stay with Grandma. She may need comforting,” PJ told her. 

“You’re right, PJ.  Give her a kiss for me.”

“I will,” he said in his little voice.  “Mom, do I have to go back to my room?”

“No, baby.  At least not right now. “

“I love you, Mommy.”  He ended the call.

Lizzy was puzzled at her kids’ response or lack of response to their father’s untimely death.  It was as if it had been expected.  She called her parents to tell them the news.  “Neither PJ or Tatum seemed upset or surprised by the death.  PJ just wanted to know if he had to sleep in his room.  I’m worried about them, Mom.”

“Don’t worry.  Since the divorce they haven’t had much contact with him.  It’s been his mother, not him.  So right now, just let them be. They’ll let you know when they need comforting.  It’s nice they want to stay with his mother to comfort her.”

Her mother made sense.  They hardly ever ask about their father, especially once Tristan was in the picture.  PJ bonded quickly with Tristan.  “Okay, Mom.  I’ll stop worrying. This is just so surreal.”

“Death always is.  Paul died like he lived.  He had a mass of secrets that are about to come to light.  One of those secrets followed him in your house.  He broke into your house to get something, so don’t get all melancholy.”

“I won’t Mom.  I just thought the kids should have been expressing more emotion.  But it wasn’t like he had a great relationship with them when we were married.  I’ll just let go for now.”

“That’s it.  Make sure you take something for your headache.  I love you.”  Her mother ended the call. 

Lizzy put the phone down and sighed.  Tristan was now bringing her a cup of herbal tea.  She sat up slowly and inhaled the aroma.  “Peppermint.”

Tristan sat next to her on the couch.  “Korena said this is great naturalistic cure.  Something about the mint would help.  She’s bringing some eucalyptus and some other healthy crap over later.”

“It’s not crap.  Some of it’s good.” She took a sip of the tea.  Oddly, she like it.  As she inhaled the aroma, it seemed to help her headache.   “This taste good.”  She leaned against him.  “Did you call Izzy and Cam?”

“Yes, they’re stopping by later as well.  I was thinking about ordering something.  What are you in the mood for?”

“Chinese food sounds good,” she said, moving closer to him.  “Do I have time for a nap?”

“Sure. Why don’t we take one upstairs?”  He kissed her forehead and took the mug out of her hand.

“You do realized that I have one crazy day and I’m not in the mood for sex.”

He stood and reached for her hand.  “Yes, I realize that.  So have I.  I was thinking we could sleep comfortably in bed. I think about more than sex.”

“I’m sorry, it’s just that…”

“No apologies needed.  Any other time, you would totally correct, but today, we both need a good nap.”  He pulled her up and they headed upstairs.

Once they were in bed, they reached for each other.  Tristan kissed her softly on her lips, his hands caressing her body and pulling her closer.  When there was nothing but air between them, they quickly fell asleep.  Letting the drama of finding her ex-husband dead in her house, slowly fade away.  There were a lot a pieces to the puzzle, and who knew what the future would bring?

The doorbell rang.

Lizzy opened her eyes at the invasion of noise.  Tristan was asleep next to her and had apparently lost his shirt, jeans, and underwear.  So had she. How on earth had they ended up naked?  She glanced at the bedside clock.  It was eight o’clock!  Then been in bed three hours. 

She tried to sit up, but her limbs were entangled with Tristan’s.  She shook him awake as the doorbell sounded again.  He opened his eyes and smiled at her nude form.  “Sorry.  You kept rubbing against me in your sleep.  I couldn’t take it anymore.”

She laughed.  “I knew the minute you suggested a nap together, I was in trouble.”  She knew she also needed the contact. “I’m not upset about it.”  She looked around for her shirt and spotted it on the floor by the bathroom door.  “Looks like we had a pretty good time.”  The doorbell sounded again. 

Tristan looked at her.  “Now who’s that?” He rose in all his naked glory and found his seldom used bathrobe and headed downstairs.

While he was gone, Lizzy searched the chest of drawers and smiled.  Her clothes were still there.  Although they were only apart a short time, she’d imagined he’d gotten rid of the few items she’d left at his house.  He hadn’t.  With a silly grin plastered on her face, she grabbed some clothes and headed for the shower. 

  Tristan opened the door to Izzy and Cam.  Izzy grinned back at him.  Cam was holding a very large bag of food. “Hello, Tristan.”  She hugged him.  “How’s my sister doing?” She looked him up and down.  “Looks like we caught you in the middle of something.”  She patted her stomach.

“No, we were just getting up.  Why don’t you guys make yourself at home and give us about thirty minutes.”   He headed back upstairs. 

He heard the shower when he entered his bedroom.  Perfect.  He decided to join Lizzy in the shower. “It was Cam and Izzy.  I told them we’d be down in thirty.”

She looked at him as she handed him the shower gel.  “I guess you don’t have time to waste, huh?”  She stood on tiptoes and kissed him. 

“Hey no fair!”  You know what that does to me.”

“I only kissed you,” she said.  “Thank you for this afternoon.  I needed that more than you’ll ever know.”

But he did know.  “We’re a team.” 

“Okay.”  She opened the shower door and left him alone to shower.  

By the time Tristan came downstairs, everyone was in the dining room.  His sister had also joined them.   “Hi, Kori,” he said. 

“Hey.  I didn’t know it was a party. I would have brought you something for you.” 

“No thank you.  I don’t want your faux food. Did you bring the stuff for Lizzy?”

“Yes. I did.”  She took a seat.  “Everything smells wonderful.  Almost make me want to eat meat.” 

“Well that’s something,” Tristan said, sitting next to Lizzy. 

“I said almost, big brother.” She reached for a tortilla chip.  “I told Lizzy to use that in the shower.  It will also help with stress.” 

Tristan looked at his sister, Lizzy and Izzy, they talked as if the men weren’t even present.  Something about planning a celebration. Tristan took the hint and headed for the kitchen. Cam followed close behind. 

“So what’s the plan?  Brad called me right after he left Lizzy’s place.  She definitely can’t go back to the house until this is cleared up.  Izzy thinks she should stay at your place.  They love their parents, but can’t stay there.  They wouldn’t be able to breathe.  You should see how they dote on Izzy when she’s there.”

Tristan nodded.  “I don’t want to put too much pressure on her.  She’s worried about the kids.  They didn’t cry or anything when she told them.”  He handed Cam a bottle of beer.

“Not even a tear?” He reached for the bottle opener and pull the tab.

“Not a one.  They were like okay and that was it.  They did want to stay with Paul’s mother to comfort her.”  He opened his beer.

“That guy was piece of work,” Cam said.  “To cause all that trouble at school then this happened.  Man it’s a good thing Lizzy was with you.  She’d be suspect number one.”

“And I’d probably be number two.  At the time he was being killed, we were at his mother’s house.  It seems no one is really surprised that he’s dead.”

Cam shook his head.  “I know.  Crazy.  Rumor around town says it a government hit.”

“What?”

“Well, I was talking to Brad and he said it look like one of theirs.”

“What?”

“Will you stop doing that?” Cam took a swig of beer.  “One shot between the eyes, could be contract.  But two shots between the eyes, and one to the head, is government.”

“But he was only shot twice.”

“So they didn’t get to finish the job,” Cam said. “That’s why he said it looked like one of theirs.”

Tristan shook his head, trying to wrap his head around the idea that Paul Hall was killed by a government agent.  The big question was why?

“Tristan?”

“Oh, sorry.  Just thinking.  This is getting crazy.  At first, it seemed like just a little home invasion by an asshole, but now the possibilities are limitless.”

“Yeah, they are.  I know you didn’t want drama in your life.  I’m afraid you’re knee deep in it.”

“That was the stupid Tristan who didn’t know any better and wasn’t in love.  The in love Tristan knows it just comes with the territory.”

“So you’re ready to deal with this?” 

“Yes.  I’m ready.  After all I’m the city manager.  I should be able to handle one crazy situation, right?”

“Sure,” Cam said.  “And I’m ready for fatherhood.”

They both laughed.  “Hey, if Brad Callahan can settle down and have a child, you can do it too?”  Tristan reminded Cam.  “We could always go to him for advice.”

“How crazy that sound?”

Later that night, Lizzy snuggled closer to Tristan in bed.  Being alone with him made all the problems of the day seem to go away.  She was content lying next to him in the dark. 

“What time do we need to pick up the kids tomorrow?”  He kissed her on the forehead.  “Brad says the police have made a preliminary search and will allow you to get some things from the house.  Unfortunately nothing from PJ’s room can be removed.”

“I’ll have to go shopping tomorrow.  I think his backpack is still in the car, thank goodness. I rather not have to explain this to the principal.”

“I’ll bet you she already knows,” Tristan said. 

Lizzy agreed.  “We can go by the house, then shop for some clothes, then we can pick up the kids.”

“Sounds like a plan.”  He pulled her in his arms. “I know these next few days are going to be crazy for you.  In my official capacity as your boss, I’m demanding you take the week off.”

She knew he was right.  “You must have been reading my mind.  I really want to be here for the kids this week.  I’m thinking about keeping them out all week.”

“Sounds wonderful.  I’ll be with you as much as I can.  I have a meeting on Tuesday, but after that I’m all yours.”

“I should say I can handle my own business, but this whole thing has got me crazy.  So I’ll just say thank you for being here for me.”  She kissed him on the lips.  She felt so much happiness in her heart at that moment.  Even with this being one of the darkest days in her life, Tristan added some sunshine to it.

“I told you we’re a team.” 

“Then we’ll stay here.”  She’d been mulling over the implications of moving into Tristan’s home with her children.  She couldn’t find a downside.

“You mean, you and kids will stay here with me?” His hands lightly caressed her body.  “Lizzy, are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

“Thank you, Lizzy.”