Weekend Warriors (18 page)

“I know exactly what you did, so don’t try it again,” the first cop said.

“Officer,” Kathryn said sweetly, “those truckers would have sat there indefinitely. Even the National Guard couldn’t have
dissss-persed
them.”

“Oh yeah?” the first cop blustered.

“Yeah,” Kathryn shot back.

 

 

They sat opposite one another, glaring. Nikki felt the urge to cry just the way she’d cried when Jack was at the farm. The phone rang.

“Emery here,” Jack growled. “Okay.” He looked away and said, “They’re bringing her up now.”

Nikki remained silent, her face miserable.

Jack eyed the Belgian Malinois standing at Kathryn’s side. “Have a seat. This won’t take long. Your attorney has given us forty-five minutes to sweep your truck and then you can pick it up. I want a sworn statement from you and then you’re free to go.” Kathryn looked at Nikki who nodded.

“Before you ask me anything, Mr. Emery, I want it on the record that I’m willing to take a lie-detector test. Any time, any place.”

“Write that down, Jack,” Nikki said cooly.

“I wrote it down. If I think it’s necessary, I’ll notify you.”

“In writing,” Nikki said.

Jack lowered his head. “Do you know Marie Lewellen or any member of her family?”

“No.”

“Were you ever introduced to her or to any member of her family? Did you ever see Marie Lewellen and her family?”

“No and no.”

“Did you, on the night of January twenty-first, take Marie Lewellen and her family somewhere in your truck?”

“No.”

“Did anyone other than yourself drive your truck on the night of January twenty-first?”

“No.”

“Why were you at Myra Rutledge’s estate on the night of January twenty-first?”

“I delivered bathroom fixtures. The storm got worse as I was unloading and I was tired. I asked Mrs. Rutledge if it was okay to sleep in my truck on the property and she said yes. She said I could sleep in the house but I had the dog and I knew he wouldn’t be comfortable in a strange place.”

“Were there other cars there when you arrived?”

“I don’t know. It was already dark. I didn’t pay attention.”

“When you left the next day were there other cars there?”

“Yes.”

“One last question. Do you know where Marie Lewellen and her family are? Did you, perhaps, overhear people discussing her disappearance or hear other people say where she might be?”

“No to both your questions.”

“Is that your sworn statement then?”

“Yes, that’s my sworn statement.”

Jack pressed the Print button and waited for the form to slide out of the printer. “Read through it, let your attorney see it and if everything is in order, sign your name at the bottom.”

Kathryn read through her statement and handed it to Nikki, who read it thoroughly. “It’s okay to sign it, Kathryn.”

“Can I go?”

“That was some stunt you pulled out there on the interstate,” Jack said cooly, his eyes on Nikki.

Kathryn remained silent.

“What stunt?” Nikki asked.

“Her trucker friends blocked the interstate. They sandwiched the two police officers into a square. Said they had engine trouble.”

“Anything’s possible,” Nikki said. “How much longer, Jack?”

Jack looked at his watch. “They should be finishing up right now. As soon as the sweep team calls and tells me everything is okay, you’re free to go. Until that call comes in, you stay right here.”

The call came in five minutes later. Both women watched Jack as he listened to the voice on the other end of the phone. He hung up and threw his pencil across the room. “They said,” he enunciated each word carefully, “the truck was clean as a whistle.”

“I always vacuum it out after a run. I just dropped off a load of pine straw in North Carolina. No one wants to have you haul a load of produce in a dirty truck. In addition to that, I’m a neat, tidy person. Make whatever you want out of that, Mr. Emery. Is this the end of it?”

“It’s the end of it, isn’t it Jack?” Nikki said coldly.

“For now,” Jack said.

“Let’s get some lunch, Kathryn. I know a nice outdoor café where Murphy can sit with us. It’s nice out today, so eating outside will be a treat. I’ll drive you to the impound lot when we’re finished.”

Neither woman said good-bye.

 

 

At the café, seated under a red-and-white-striped umbrella, Nikki leaned forward. Her eyes sparkled when she said, “Tell me everything and don’t leave out a word.”

Kathryn talked nonstop for fifteen minutes. “When it was over, we drove away.”

“Was it worth it, Kathryn? Do you feel vindicated?”

“Oh, yes, Nikki. I’m glad Yoko asked Sid Lee about the others. If she hadn’t, I think I would have always wondered. What they did to me, they did to a lot of women. They won’t do it ever again, though. I don’t suppose anyone heard anything, you know, on the news or in the papers?”

“Not that I know of,” Nikki said. “I don’t think it’s the kind of thing that will make the news unless they go public. Although, you never know. I can’t swear to it but I’ll bet you a dollar Charles is tuned into the
L.A. Times.
By the way, you did good back there.”

“You know, I really would have taken a polygraph test if they wanted to give it.”

“Just the fact that you said you were willing was enough for Jack. Those tests cost money and he really couldn’t justify it to his boss. Drink up, Kathryn,” Nikki said, holding her wineglass aloft.

They smiled at each other, each busy with her own thoughts.

“Nikki, do you know if Julia . . .”

“She did it yesterday. She sent them Federal Express from New York. Alexis fixed her up and she drove up there, mailed them and then drove back. She sent them for a ten o’clock delivery. It’s two o’clock here on the East Coast and eleven on the West Coast.. I think they’re probably gazing at their jewels as we speak and wondering how it all went wrong.”

Kathryn smiled and held her glass upward. “To the Sisterhood! Long may they reign!”

 

 

On a balmy spring day just as the first spring flowers bloomed, the Sisterhood met for the second time at Myra Rutledge’s McLean estate.

This time, however, the sisters were more vocal with one another, asking about each other’s lives and talking about the weather, social events and recipes. The mood was relaxed, not frightening like the first time. Nor was it exhilarating like they thought it would be. It was comfortable, each woman at ease and content in her own skin, knowing now their capabilities and using them to the fullest.

Myra banged her gavel on the round table. “The second meeting of the Sisterhood will now come to order. Are all present and accounted for?”

“Aye,” came the reply.

“Then let’s get down to business. In the matter of Kathryn Lucas, was the project successful? Do we have any unfinished business in regard to the project?”

“I think Jack Emery goes under the heading of unfinished business. At the present, I think it’s better to let sleeping dogs lie. If the dog should wake and bark, then we can decide what we want to do. I do have one thought where he is concerned. At some point, he’s going to remember the tunnels are under the house. Or, if he doesn’t remember on his own, someone might tell him about them. He knows Barbara and I used to play in them when we were children. He knows that because I told him several years ago. I apologize.”

“There’s no need to apologize, dear. Six months ago, Charles had the part of the tunnel under the house closed off. Now it looks like the only entrance is from the barn. We used distressed wood and blew cobwebs all over the place. It doesn’t look like anyone has been down there for years and years. That particular branch of the tunnel leads to the Danberry farm. There are no blueprints other than those that belong to this family. I know the Danberry’s have a set of prints but they’re just for their branch of the tunnels. If Mr. Emery’s nose starts to twitch, we’ll deal with it then.”

Myra looked around the table at the faces she now knew and adored. “I repeat, was the Kathryn Lucas project successful? How say you all?”

“Aye,” came the reply.

“Kathryn, do you feel avenged?”

“Yes, I do. Thanks to all of you.”

Myra banged the gavel a second time.

“The Kathryn Lucas project is now closed and sealed. We will never speak of it again. Do we all agree?”

“Aye,” came the reply.

Myra banged her gavel a third time. “It’s time to choose our next case. Yoko, do the honors, please.”

Yoko leaned over the table and reached into the shoebox. She withdrew a folded slip of paper and handed it to Myra.

“Sisters, our next case is Alexis Thorne!”

 

“There’s something about an early morning breakfast on a terrace that is so special it defies words,” Julia Webster said. “Look and listen to all the birds. See how pretty all the flowers are in the yard and here on the terrace. I just love beautiful things. I don’t mean material things, I mean nature things. Did I tell you all, I ordered a Night Train? My hus . . . the man I’m married to, said it was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I corrected that statement and told him no, the stupidest thing I ever did was to marry him.”

“Atta girl, Julia,” Kathryn said. Julia beamed.

“What’s for breakfast?” Alexis queried.

“Fresh melon, freshly squeezed orange juice and
beignets
A new shop opened in town and the baker is from New Orleans. Charles went to fetch us some. Oh, I hear his car now. We must remember to thank him, sisters. He does love doing things for us.” Myra sighed happily and smiled as Charles opened the small iron gate leading to the terrace.

“Everyone close their eyes! I have a surprise for all of you!” Charles walked over to the table and placed the box of
beignets
in the center of the table. He then placed a copy of
The Tattler
in front of each woman, keeping one for himself. “You can open your eyes now!”

“Oh myyyy Goddd!” the women said as one.

“As you can see, this sleazy tabloid only mentions the men as Gentleman One, Two and Three. For privacy reasons, of course. The doctor all three men consulted had an assistant who spilled the story to
The Tattler
for fifty thousand dollars. She no longer works for the doctor, saying fifty big ones was a lot better than seven bucks an hour. That’s a direct quote, by the way.

“She said, and this is another direct quote, One, Two and Three brought their . . . ah . . . bags with them and wanted to know if there was a way to . . . ah . . . reattach them. The contents, not the bags,” Charles guffawed. “They were told modern medicine hadn’t made any inroads in that department. The assistant also said the men were prominent businessmen, cycle enthusiasts, and two of them were married and one divorced.

“The men told the physician that it happened on a motorcycle run for a charity benefit. All three of the men think some women on their way to a Harley-Davidson show drugged their drinks and did the dirty deed while they were knocked out. One of them recalls hearing a dog bark all night long. As the paper was going to press, no police reports had been filed.

“By the way, the assistant moved to New York the day she received and cashed her check. She is now represented by the William Morris Agency.”

“Oh my goodness,” Myra said.

“Hot damn!” Alexis said.

“No one said anything about my stitches. I do the best stitches in the business, ” Julia grumbled. “And you were all worried they might bleed to death. When I sew ’em up, they’re sewed up.”

“This is so exciting,” Yoko babbled. We did
that!”
she said, pointing to the paper in front of her.

“Yes, we did,” Nikki smiled.

Both of Kathryn’s fists shot in the air. “This is the first time I’m actually glad that modern medicine is lagging behind.”

Isabelle burst out laughing and couldn’t stop. Charles thumped her on the back. “I’m sorry,” she continued to laugh. “I can just picture them walking into that doctor’s office with their nuts in those jars.”

“No, no, Isabelle, I sent them in Ziploc bags in padded envelopes,” Julia said.

“Like when you get goldfish at a pet store! Kathryn, you are truly vindicated,” Isabelle said, going off into peals of laughter again.

Charles opened the box on the table.
“Beignets,
anyone?”

QUESTION:
It’s been a few years since the Sisterhood series ended with HOME FREE. Have you heard from fans asking for more books in the series? What sort of things do fans write you in connection to the Sisterhood?

 

FERN MICHAELS:
Oh lordy, lordy, do I ever get questions and comments? YES! Every single day as a matter of fact. The first question is always, will there be any more books in the series? The second thing they say is that they are having withdrawal symptoms and have resorted to rereading the books. The third thing is always the same, readers say the characters are so real they’re like old friends. The best comment, though, and it always tickles me is,
please write faster!

 

QUESTION:
What inspired you to return to the Sisterhood? In addition to the Sisterhood you write several other books a year, including the Godmothers series, standalone novels, and holiday collections. Do you have a favorite series or type of novel to write?

 

FERN MICHAELS:
Talking about the Sisterhood, I was going nuts myself, and suffering the same withdrawal as the readers. The characters actually in many ways became part of my family and I truly, truly missed them. I like doing all of the above, but I will admit to being a tad partial to the Sisterhood. But as much as I love it, sometimes when writing a lengthy series like the Sisterhood you need to take a break and get a fresh perspective.

 

QUESTION:
With so many novels of yours published—many of which are
New York Times
bestsellers—did you ever imagine you would have such a prolific and successful career as a writer? How did you first get started? What put you on the path to becoming an author?

 

FERN MICHAELS:
Never in a million years did I imagine I would be where I am today. I think I knew some way, somehow, that I was going to write
something
someday, because in the fourth grade I wrote a story about a tadpole and the teacher gave me a big red A. What put me on the path to writing years and years later was when my youngest son went off to kindergarten and my husband told me I had to get a job. Being a wife and mother did not qualify me to go into the outside workforce. Plus, and most important, I didn’t have a car to get to and from work. So, I thought I would try my hand at writing a book. It was that simple. What was even more amazing was that the storytelling came easy to me. Please note, I did not say the
writing
came easy; it was the storytelling part that worked for me.

 

QUESTION:
What is it about the characters in your Sisterhood novels that allows for you to connect so deeply with readers, and how did you first conceive of these women on your pages? Is there any thread of you in any of these characters?

 

FERN MICHAELS:
I have a lot of friends and meet a lot of people, and as women do, we moan and groan about injustices we see and experience along the way. One would say, boy, if I could just get even in some small way, or, somehow that guy/gal shouldn’t be able to get away with this or that! Then I would sit down and plot all these different revenge theories that maybe would work or maybe wouldn’t, but since it is all fiction, these gals could do whatever and I could control the outcome. The “sisters” all kept reminding me I was a storyteller. In the end, I was convinced that the woman hadn’t been born yet who didn’t want some sort of revenge in her life. I just ran with it. The seven women of the Sisterhood and the new characters that I developed along the way are composites of those same friends, family, and to some extent some of my neighbors. Even the guys. Is there any thread of me in those characters? Oh, yeah! In every single one.

 

QUESTION:
While many people know you through your writing, not many people are aware of your charitable work, which includes buying bulletproof vests for police dogs and creating day care centers set up for the needs of single mothers. You also created the Fern Michaels Foundation, which grants scholarships to needy children. How did you get involved in these projects and why is philanthropy such an important part of your life?

 

FERN MICHAELS:
When I was a kid my old Polish grandmother said something to me that I didn’t understand at the time, but do understand now. She said, when God is good to you, you must give back. I do my best. A day doesn’t go by in my life that I don’t thank God for all he has done for me. How could I do less? I have a new project right now which is our local police department in the town where I live. With the passing of my daughter due to a heart condition way before her time several years ago, I wanted to do something in her memory. So I made sure every officer in the department had a defibrillator and was trained to use it, a thermal imaging camera, plus every officer now has a Taser along with training and hiring a new police officer every year to help safeguard the people in my little town.

 

QUESTION:
With the publication of several books a year, along with your ongoing charity work, how do you manage to balance writing, home, family, and book events with all this going on in your career and life?

 

FERN MICHAELS:
I don’t know how to answer that other than to say I take it one day at a time, look at what the day holds when I get up in the morning, and put things in the order of importance. Somehow or other I manage to do what has to be done even if it takes me till bed time. My kids tell me I have grease on my sneakers, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to do what I do. I love it.

 

QUESTION:
Where do you draw your inspiration from? Are there any specific people—friends, family members, etc.—that help provide the characters found in your novels?

 

FERN MICHAELS:
Just everyday life. I think my brain is on overdrive from eight in the morning till around midnight. I hear, I see, I smell, I think and I write it down. Sometimes it can be something really silly. Like the day I was babysitting my grandson and he was watching cartoons and it was Alvin and the Chipmunks and they were shouting, “Finders keepers! Finders keepers!” I had been struggling for a title on the book I was writing at the time. You guessed it, turned out to be FINDERS KEEPERS.

 

QUESTION:
Over the course of many books and adventures the Sisterhood have traveled all over the country (and the world). Do you envision a story or setting first? Have you visited some of the same places that the characters have?

 

FERN MICHAELS:
Yes, I like to do the setting first and then try to fit the story into those surroundings. For the most part, the Sisterhood takes place in and around the Washington, D.C. / Virginia area. I used to live there and I liked the area. What’s not to like about Washington, D.C.? But yes, I have been to all the locales that are used, such as Las Vegas, Alabama, and Utah.

 

QUESTION:
Throughout all of the years you’ve been writing and promoting your novels, what have been the most rewarding and memorable experiences for you?

 

FERN MICHAELS:
Oh my gosh, there are so many! I’m going to give you two, but they are sad. A lady’s daughter emailed me and said her mother was dying, literally dying, and had maybe a month to live if she was lucky. She had read the first two books in the Kentucky series and wanted to know how the third one ended because she wouldn’t be here when it came out. The third book was done and in production but it was months to go before it would be in stores. I called my publisher, Kensington Publishing, and somehow they found a way to get the advance galleys to me to send to the daughter. The daughter emailed me later and said everyday she read to her mother and they finished the book
in time.
The second incident was almost identical, but this lady was a friend of someone who had brain cancer and was in a hospice. She wanted the fourth Sisterhood book, THE JURY, so her friend could read it to her. I sent it along with a room full of flowers. You just can’t forget things like that, ever. And I never will. I like to think I make people’s lives a little happier with my story telling. Now, if you want to go in the other direction, I was inducted into the New Jersey Literary Hall of Fame along with such notables as Mary Higgins Clark, Peter Benchley, Belva Plain, and many others (I lived in New Jersey at the time), and you better believe that was a thrill!

 

QUESTION:
Is there a particular book in the Sisterhood series that is a favorite among fans or that you receive a lot of mail about?

 

FERN MICHAELS:
No. In fact my reader mail says they can’t pick a favorite. Then when they think they finally found one they like better than the rest along comes a new one and then that becomes their favorite. The greatest compliment the readers give me time and again is that none of the books are the same, each is totally different. I really take that to heart.