Promise Made (The Callahan Series) (22 page)

Dugan scraped a hand through his hair. “If you get right down to it, I guess that’s all I could do, warn him to stay clean.” But he would have liked to look in Jerome’s eyes when he did. It was the only way he could read the man.

“Any complaints since?”

“None.”

“Good. Maybe the judge put the fear of God in him.”

“I don’t know, sheriff. He’s a mean one.”

“Give me a call if he gives you trouble.”

“Will do.”

Dugan wanted to crawl into bed and get eight hours of shut-eye. Instead, he got in his cruiser and headed for Grace’s. There was a light on in the back. They were probably in the den. But no one answered the door. No barks from Yogi. Strange.

Stranger still, Kate’s car wasn’t in its usual spot.

He drove to Ed’s. The gate was locked. Dugan climbed over it, made his way through the dark yard and to the back. Ed’s pickup was gone, the house dark. No lights anywhere. He knocked and called out until his knuckles were sore.

It was clear Ed wasn’t home either.

Where would they go and take the animals with them? Austin?

He made his way back to the cruiser and home, his heart so heavy it made walking difficult.

Had Kate left again? For good? “She can’t,” he muttered to himself. “She can’t leave.” They’d made love. Hell, he loved her. But he’d loved her before. And she’d left him.

When he got to his house, he crawled into bed, but there would be no sleep tonight.

****

Kate woke early.

At first she was disoriented. She wasn’t at Gram’s, but back in her condo. She covered her eyes with a hand. It would be a long day. On her way here yesterday, she’d dropped the ring off at Erik’s office. Thankful he was in court, she'd put it on his desk with a short note.
It would never work out between us, Erik. One day, you’ll thank me.

She hadn’t heard from him and probably wouldn’t.

Heidi, sensing Kate was awake, meowed her hunger.

At the foot of the bed, Yogi nudged her toe.

“Okay, guys. I’m up.”

She’d received a call from the Realtor late yesterday afternoon. Her condo had sold. Kate couldn’t believe it sold so fast, but the Realtor explained it was because it was close to town and people wanted housing closer to work to save gas.

This was one worry she could cross off her list.

She took a quick shower before she went to the kitchen. Gram was at the stove, Ed by her side.

They were so sweet. There was no way they’d let her pack by herself. Jenna was coming to help, too. With so many helping hands they could get everything packed in a day. The small U-Haul she’d rented would hold what little she wanted to keep. The rest? She didn’t know what to do with it. Not that she had that much—she hadn’t spent a lot of time or money on decorating. A few things, like the oak bookcase, she could use for her office at Gram’s. Her small dining table and chairs she could use as a conference table.

But how much of this other stuff would she need? Kate couldn’t live with Gram forever, especially if she and Ed married. She’d take at least enough for a small apartment.

They were eating breakfast when Jenna rang the doorbell. It was good to see her friend. Kate wondered again if this was the right thing to do. She realized she was wobbling, but when she looked over at Gram, she knew her decision was the right one.

Gram wasn’t getting any younger, and Kate’s three or four short trips a year to see her just weren’t enough.

The way Ed and Gram interacted, though, didn’t bring to mind an elderly grandmother who needed help. On the contrary, they were so in love it made Kate happy just watching them.

Jenna dragged Kate into the bedroom. “What’s with those two?”

Kate laughed. It had taken blond, brown-eyed Jenna two seconds to zero in on the love affair. “They’re in love. Ed asked Gram to marry him.”

Jenna crossed her arms. “That’s wonderful. What about Dugan? I know you’ve seen him. How did that go?”

Heat rushed to Kate’s face. Darn it.

“You didn’t?” Jenna squealed.

“Hush! Do you want everyone to hear you?”

“Well, did you?”

“Did I what?”

“Don’t play all innocent with me. You slept with him, didn’t you?”

“We didn’t sleep much.” Kate brushed her hair away from her face. “Why can’t I be like other women? Have a wild, crazy fling and enjoy the great sex?”

“Do I have to spell it out for you? Sure I do because no one else will. You’re a one-man woman, my friend. You always have been. Didn’t that become clear when you didn’t have sex for five long years? No? Then think about this. You’re in love with Dugan. Always have been and always will be. Did I answer your question?”

“Ruthlessly.”

“Then what are you going to do about it? Run away again and regret it the rest of your life? If you love the man, admit it. If he feels the same, go for it.”

“You make it sound so simple.” As had Doc Pullman.

“You never told me the reason you ran in the first place, but let me take a guess. You were afraid. You wanted to be independent. Make your own way. Well, you did it. You know it. He knows it.” Jenna flung out her arms. “What else is there?”

Kate laughed. She wouldn’t delve into her misgivings about herself. Though she was working on them they were still there lurking in the corner waiting to jump out at her every time she thought forever. “I can’t deny the truth when it’s put to me so eloquently.”

“You’ve told me hundreds of times what a good man Dugan is, how dependable, how honest. Do you have any idea how rare that is? If you let him go, I swear I’ll divorce you.”

Kate didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Instead, she took Jenna’s hand. “I loved him so much back then. How can he ever forget I did such a horrible thing to him?

Jenna shrugged. “If he loves you, there’s no problem.”

Kate chuckled. “That’s too simple. Anyway, I can’t talk about this anymore.”

She finished the last drawer.

“Just trust yourself to do the right thing.”

Kate nodded and went into the kitchen to check on Gram.

Ed hauled boxes to the U-Haul as fast as they were taped shut. By lunch, the kitchen was in total disarray, so they ordered a pizza delivered.

“I didn’t know I had so much stuff,” Kate moaned.

“You don’t. Not really,” Gram said. “It just seems so.”

“What will I do with it?”

Gram patted her arm. “We’ll worry about that when we get home.”

Home! Home was Gram’s. This condo never had been, and Kate doubted seriously if she’d feel at home in an apartment anywhere.

She sighed and looked around. “Jenna, don’t you need a bedroom suite?”

“I do. Why?”

“Would you like the one in the guest room?”

“I’d love it,” she squealed. “I’ll pay you for it.”

“No, you won’t. I’ll use it when I come to visit.”

“That’s a deal.” She grabbed her cell phone, called her brother, and made arrangements for him to pick it up later.

“One room down,” Kate said with a smile.

“How much of this furniture do you want to take?” Ed asked.

She pointed out what she wanted and Ed went to work.

“We’ll load up the heavy stuff when my brother gets here,” Jenna said. “What you don’t want, we can donate to Goodwill.”

It was seven o’clock by the time they finished, but the condo was empty, vacuumed, and clean. “Let’s go home,” Kate said.

“Best thing you’ve said all day,” Ed said.

“Are you too tired? If you are, we can stay at a motel and leave in the morning.”

“Not on your life. We’re loaded and ready. Let’s go.”

Before they could leave, the real estate agent called. She had papers she needed signed.

So they waited.

Kate hugged Jenna. “I’ll miss you.”

“You promised to visit, remember?”

Kate chuckled. “How could I forget?”

“Then we’ll see each other soon.”

By the time the papers were signed and they were on the road it was late. But as tired as they were, they wanted to get back home.

Kate had put Yogi and Heidi in her car. The remaining space was stuffed with clothes. Ed pulled the U-Haul behind his pickup.

They stopped for a quick sandwich and a cup of coffee before hitting the freeway.

Despite the tenacity of her plans, all Kate could think about was Dugan. Why hadn’t he called?

Chapter Twenty-One

Dugan’s cell phone rang a little after midnight. He’d been so tired that even worry over Kate couldn’t keep him awake. Groggy, he answered.

“Got a call from Booger, Sheriff,” Ralph said. “Jerome’s drunk and ranting. Seems someone told him Rita left town. He’s madder than a cottonmouth.”

“Pick him up.”

“I’m gonna do just that. You told me to call if Jerome acted up again.”

“Good.” He started to put the phone down.

“Thing is, Jerome’s bent on revenge, says he’s going after the lawyer who got Rita off. Says she put a killer on the streets and deserves to be punished.”

“What?” Dugan was up now, fully awake. “He’s threatening Kate?”

“That’s what he told everyone who will listen. I’m on my way now to pick him up.”

“Put him in cuffs. If he gives you a problem, taser him.”

It took Dugan two minutes to put on his clothes, check his gun, and get in his cruiser. “Bastard. Should have kept his ass in jail.”

Was Kate back? Was Grace? Were they home alone? He made a quick call to Grace, but there was no answer. He called Ed, who picked up on the first ring. When Dugan told him about Jerome, Ed let out a few choice words. Words Dugan remembered from when he was a deputy, and Ed the sheriff.

“I’m on my way,” Ed said.

“Meet me at the back door and be quiet about it. If he’s there, we can’t spook him.”

“I know the drill, Dugan.”

Yeah, he did. He’d been the one to teach Dugan.

Dugan parked a short distance from Grace’s and ran the rest of the way. Lights were on in the house and Kate’s car was back in the drive. A U-Haul backed up to the garage gave him a moment’s hesitation.

Was Kate moving in or out?

He was so worried about her welfare he brushed the U-Haul from his mind.

If Jerome was as crazy as everyone said, she could be in grave danger. Dugan forced back panic. His nerves needed to be strong and steady. Right now, there was nothing steady about him. His insides were frozen with fear one minute and shaking the next.

Maybe his worry was unnecessary.

Maybe Ralph had Jerome in cuffs by now.

Even if Jerome wasn’t in custody, did he have time to get to Kate?

Dugan was close enough now to hear Yogi’s bark. Yogi only barked when the doorbell rang or when a stranger was at the door.

Not a good sign.

At the back door, he looked through the glass. A dim light showed in the kitchen.

Yogi kept barking.

“Is he in there?” Ed asked, coming up behind Dugan.

Ed held a pistol in his hand that looked all too familiar. He’d carried the same old Smith and Wesson .38 Special for years.

“Put it away, Ed. I’ll handle this.”

“We’ll handle it together, Dugan. Don’t forget I’m as qualified as you are.”

But you’re not as young as you once were,
Dugan wanted to remind him, but dared not.

Just in case Jerome was inside, they spoke in whispers. Dugan let himself relax a bit. Surely, they had gotten here ahead of him. Or maybe Jerome was just spouting off, as drunks were prone to do. Maybe the women were in no danger at all.

But no amount of internal dialogue stopped the fear. Something was wrong. Otherwise, Yogi wouldn’t be carrying on so.

“I’ll look in the windows, see if I can see anything,” Dugan said. “Stay here.”

****

Inside, Kate and Grace faced a furious Jerome Johnson.

“Calm down and we’ll talk,” Kate said.

When she’d answered the knock at the front door a few minutes earlier, she’d hoped it was Dugan. Instead, a tall, dark-skinned man, reeking of beer, stood there with a gun in his hand. She’d frozen in shock.

Who was he?

Before she could shut the door—before she could hunt for a weapon, before she could warn Gram, he was inside.

For all the good it did, Yogi barked furiously at the stranger. When Kate asked who he was and what he wanted, he told her. She’d wanted to slide to the floor in fear.

Instead she’d faced him with all the courage she could muster. “Let’s talk about it.”

“No need. You talked enough when you got my brother’s killer off.”

When Gram walked in to see what the commotion was about, he’d made her sit in a chair, told her he’d shoot Kate if she tried anything. With a gun pointed at Kate’s head, Gram did as he asked while Kate surreptitiously glanced around for a weapon. There wasn’t one anywhere. What could she do to get the gun away from him? What could she do to calm him down?

Her mind raced with options. None of them good.

Where was Dugan? Why hadn’t he contacted her since the trial?

Talk to him.
“You know your brother beat Rita senseless on more than one occasion. She had no option but to defend herself.”

The gun waved in an arc around her face. The man was drunk and didn’t make sense. If she didn’t talk him down, he would kill her, then Gram.

“Why don’t you put the gun away and take a seat,” she suggested in her most professional voice. “I’ll explain what really happened.”

“I know all I need to know. My brother’s dead. Sure, he knocked his old lady around a bit. Bitch probably deserved it. Didn’t give her the right to kill him.”

“Killing someone is always a bad thing,” she agreed. “But there are times when you’re faced with someone who wants to kill you. What would you do in those circumstances? Would you stand there and let them take your life or defend yourself?”

He didn’t answer. Instead, he inched closer. His eyes, dark and crazed, looked into hers, which frightened her even more. Jerome wasn’t just drunk; there was a maniacal streak about him.

How did Rita ever get mixed up with the Johnsons?

Yogi wouldn’t stop barking. Jerome kicked at him and hit him square in the ribs. Yogi yelped in pain.

“Don’t hurt him!”

“Shut him up or I’ll put the first bullet in his head.”