Under Currents (35 page)

"But we'll be good pirates," Caleb said. "Instead of skull and crossbones, we’ll hoist a bright yellow sunflower."

She giggled. "I'll be the princess pirate."

“That's lame," Scott protested.

"Is not."

"Is too."

"Argh, little maties,” Julie said, in a gruff voice. “Enough arguing. There’s treasure a plenty. Rocks and ancient fossils. Now be off with you.”

“There’s no ancient fossils out here,” Scott said.

“No, but my brothers used to find Indian arrowheads. Cool, right.”

While Scott dug in the sand for relics, Ally chased a butterfly around some wild flowers.

Julie spread the table cloth on the ground, then placed an assortment of food out—sandwiches, grapes, strawberries, and chips.  Caleb passed around drinks.

♦♦♦

While they ate, Caleb studied Julie and admired the sight of her long dark hair blowing in the summer breeze and her smooth tan skin. He studied her lean figure. Add a tail and she’d be one gorgeous mermaid.

Now he felt foolish for not making love to her last night. She’d wanted him, but he hadn’t been able to think past his problems. 

The kids played in the shallow water trapped between the two sandbars. Caleb sat beside Julie, resting his back against a log. He laced his fingers through hers and squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry about last night.”

She smiled, her gray-blue eyes appearing bluer than usual. “Don’t be. You were troubled.”

“I won’t be tonight.” He grinned, then winked.

“What makes you think I’ll slip back into your bed?”

Without answering, he pulled her into his arms and lowered his mouth over hers. As he held her closer, he deepened the kiss, causing a little moan to catch in her throat.

He glanced over at the kids. Ally chased butterflies while Scott dug for treasure. Taking advantage of the moment, he kissed up her neck and blew on her earlobe.

She shoved him playfully. “Stop that. It tickles. Besides, my kids are here.”

“I’d love to have you out of that swimsuit,” he whispered.

She looked at him with sultry eyes. “You can have your own treasure hunt tonight.” She smiled. “X marks the spot.”

“And I won’t need a map.” He kissed her again, burying his tongue inside her mouth. Immediately, her tongue found his. “Ah, Jules.”

When the kids ran toward him, she pushed away from him. He scooted over and pretended to be interested in something in the water.

Sweet heaven, he wanted her.

Thank goodness, he was wearing cut off jeans instead of swimming trunks.

“Since there’s not a cold shower handy, I’m taking a swim.”

Julie laughed.

He waded out into the icy water and dove under.

Relief.

♦♦♦

That night, Ally returned to her own bed. Lying on the sofa, Caleb longed to make love to Julie. A movie played, but he didn’t have a clue what it was about since she lay in his arms bra-less—only wearing a T-shirt.

As he rubbed his thumb over her nipple, he thought about how great it'd be to suck it between his teeth. The thought made him hard.
Shit.
He needed her tonight. “Go check on the kids.”

When she left his side, a sense of emptiness overwhelmed him. In a few minutes, she returned offering her hand. “Let’s go to bed. They’re both asleep.” She helped pull him to his feet. “They're worn out. They won’t wake up.”

“Good. I’ve wanted you all day.”

And once in her bedroom, he didn’t hold back. He kissed down her stomach. He tasted her sweetness and listened to her deep moans of pleasure as he brought her to the edge. He couldn’t wait a second longer. He lowered himself on her,  and she gasped. “Hurry, please. I’m on fire.”

Without further hesitation, he thrust himself into her. She tightened her inner muscles around him. Their bodies worked together in perfect harmony.

“Harder,” she cried. She arched upward and wrapped her legs around him to claim every inch. “Keep going, I’m almost there.”

“I’ve got control of it.” Caleb slipped his hands beneath her bottom, holding her closer to him. “Come with me, Jules.”

Sweat beaded on their flesh, and the pressure inside him built. They cried out together as he spilled inside her. For a short time, neither spoke.

“I should’ve pulled out.”

“Why?”

“You have two kids, you should know why.”

“But I’d love to have your baby.”

“Jules, I’m still not sure how this trial will end. And what scares the crap out of me is to think I could still be found guilty. I could even be sent back to finish out my sentence.”

“You won’t be. I know it.”

“Even if I’m cleared, what do I have to offer you?”

Julie almost said
love
before she thought. Caleb had never admitted that he loved her. Was what he felt for her love or dependency?

Caleb leaned over and kissed her deeply, and her thoughts left her. She eased her hand down and felt his hardness. “Round two.”

“You’re on,” Caleb challenged.

Again he kissed and touched all the right places, bringing her to the peak of climaxing.

She stared up at him. “Oh, Caleb.”

“Jules, I can’t get enough of you.”

He kissed her passionately. His muscles flexed as he worked his body to please her as well as himself. It ended as they released their tortured cries of ecstasy and let their bodies collapse in exhaustion.

Caleb rolled off of her. “We can’t continue to take chances like this. I’d go crazy if I had to return to prison and leave you here alone and pregnant.”

“You won’t.” She smiled. “I think my monthly visitor just paid a call.” She disappeared into the bathroom.

Relief swept through Caleb. Though he couldn’t think of anything more wonderful than having his own child, he was glad Julie wasn’t pregnant.

♦♦♦

Julie poured a cup of coffee, then picked up the Poplar Bluff paper and was flabbergasted from the headline.
Faith Deputy Turns State Witness Against Senator Vincent.
 

Holy crap.

Apparently, John Davis had been on Vincent’s payroll and knew about the plot to kill Caleb. Julie read about the setup Caleb had walked into. The article raised questions as to why Senator Vincent would want Caleb dead or back in prison. The story recapped the boating accident and the deaths of the two girls.

Her greatest fear was that all the publicity would hurt Caleb in court. Devin Vincent was being backed into a corner. Her phone rang. “Hello.”

“Have you seen the paper?” Adam asked.

“I have.”

”It’s all part of the strategy to defeat a dragon. But if asked, I don’t have a clue as to how the paper got wind of the story.”

“Are you sure he won’t be able to get to Deputy Davis before he testifies?”

“Davis is under protective custody.”

“Adam, thank you for looking out for Caleb.”

“I owe him big time. For years I only thought that he was getting what he deserved for destroying our lives.”

“For whatever reason, thank you.” She nervously wrapped the cord around her hand. “Caleb and I are stopping by the county clerk’s office to check on any rezoning or building permits that may have been submitted.”

“Let me know what you find.”

♦♦♦

Not wanting his wife to see the article, Devin Vincent removed the page and folded it over several times and slid it in a book he’d been reading. A muscle beneath his eye twitched, and his neck tightened to the point of hurting. He couldn’t think of a time that he hadn’t gotten what he wanted, a time when things hadn’t gone his way, a time where life hadn't dealt him the perfect hand—until now. What Julie had said about Amy being his sister would haunt him until he found out the truth. Would it have changed things if he had known?
Maybe.

“Daddy, you’re home,” shouted Lacy, his eight year old. “Why aren’t you at work?”

“Thought I’d hang around here a while. Are Brandon and Kelly awake?”

“No. Still sleeping."

"Where’s your mom?”

“She’s in her flower garden."

"Why don’t you see if she needs any help while I make a few phone calls.”

She hugged his neck, then skipped from the room. She smelled fresh and sweet. His little pumpkin was growing up. And now he worried that he wouldn’t be around for her. Instead of walking her down the aisle, he could be sitting in prison.

Then he thought of the disgrace it would cause his children, like being branded for life. He couldn’t let that happen. Though he didn’t love Misty, never had, he loved his kids.

And he couldn’t let this issue with Caleb McGregor go any further. He had to stop it now. He would use the two gorillas he hired to retrieve the diary from Julie Ross and hope they did a better job. They’d returned from St. Louis like whimpering dogs with their tails stuck between their legs.
Gutless shitheads.

Now that he didn’t have Frank Grear to do his dirty work, he had no one else to rely on. One thing about Bud and Tate, they wouldn’t squeal like pigs, as John had.

He dialed the number on a prepaid, non-traceable cell. When Bud finally answered, he said, “I have a job for you. Meet me at our usual spot in an hour.”

Later, Devin entered the bar and walked to a back table. Tate and Bud were already there. He joined them. “This job needs to be carried out tonight.”

“What?”

“Take Caleb McGregor out.”

“What about the woman?” Bud twisted in his chair.

“I’ll deal with her later. I have almost a month before Zanbar pulls out.”

“I saw the article. Won’t you be the prime suspect?” Tate asked.

“Not if I have an ironclad alibi and frame someone else.”

“Who?”

“Henry Peel. He’s been mouthing off about shooting McGregor since he was paroled.”

“But aren’t the Peels the ones who gave Mrs. Ross the diary?”

“Yeah. But Henry Peel drinks himself into a stupor every Friday evening, then manages to drive home. If there’s enough physical evidence linking him to  the murder, people will believe, being intoxicated, he went after McGregor.”

“Sounds reasonable. Like what kind of evidence?”

“Like his sawed-off shotgun being the murder weapon.”

Bud laughed. “Hell, that should do the trick.”

♦♦♦

After they dropped her children off at her parents’ house, Julie and Caleb made the trip to town and hurried into Faith City Hall before it closed for lunch.

An older gray haired lady greeted them with a smile. “May I help you?”

“I hope so. Have any permits to build on this property been submitted?” Julie asked as she pointed to the land on a map hanging on the wall.

The old woman studied the map before opening a wide drawer and thumbed through the files. “Here, March fifth.” She pulled the permit and placed it before them. “Senator Vincent pulled a permit to build a four star resort hotel and restaurant.”

"Sweet," Caleb said. “Thank you, ma’am.”

As they exited the building, Julie said, “Everything seemed to be going his way until I refused to sell.”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think Grear acted as a buffer between you and the senator. Without him, I think Devin would’ve played hardball.”

“I’ve thought of that myself a number of times.”

He opened her car door, then walked to the other side. “Let’s stop by the Burger Barn and grab something to eat.”

“Get it to go. I have somewhere I’m going today without you and the kids. I thought you wouldn’t mind babysitting.”

“I don’t mind. Just where are you running off to?”

“Northeast Correctional Center. I’m driving Aunt Noreen there to see Reece. I convinced her she should go see him.”

“You should stay out of it. Your uncle will never forgive you.”

“He knows. She confessed everything to him. And surprisingly, he’s been understanding and supportive.”

“Unless she’s on his visitor’s list and been preapproved, they won’t let her see him.”

“I’ll check before we make the trip.”

Julie was sure Aunt Noreen had everything in order. While Caleb waited in line for the food, Julie decided to call Adam. She keyed in his number.

“Adam, it’s Julie.”

“Did you find what we needed from the county office?”

“Yes.” She told him about Devin’s plans.

“I also have some news for you. I read the minutes from the town meeting. Seems Devin attended and ended up in a heated argument with Jeremy about granting the casinos a business license if they chose land in the area. Jeremy didn’t want any part of the new bridge or casinos. He thought they’d bring crime to the area and change Faith for the worst.”

“That doesn’t prove Devin did it,” she said.

“I’ve spoken to some of the people who were there," Adam stated. "They said the night ended on a good note, and they all walked over to the Catfish Den for coffee and pie. Devin apologized to Jeremy for becoming so angry during the meeting and insisted on paying for his pie and coffee.”

“If I have Jeremy exhumed,” she said, “how long will it take for the autopsy report to return?”

“It could be weeks or months. It depends on how backed up things are at the state crime lab. It’s very expensive to do this—ten thousand, maybe more. Why don’t you hold up until we get this matter with Caleb and Devin resolved?”

“I didn’t realize it cost so much. I’ll give it some more consideration.”

“Any problems with Vincent since you’ve been home?”

“None," Julie said.

“Any calls or threats?”

“No," Julie replied. "I’ve been expecting something. It’s like the calm inside the eye of a hurricane. You know the rest of the storm in coming, but you don’t know when.”

“Maybe he realizes if anything happens to either of you he’ll be the prime suspect. After we get Vincent squared away behind bars, I plan to go after Caleb's parole officer.”

She thanked Adam and hung up.

Caleb got back in the van, carrying several bags of food. “You look sad. Who was that on the phone?”