Chapter Six: “Old Infatuations and New Smiles”
When Jake and Heather arrived at his childhood home, they met Gail Green who was coming home from her shift at the clinic. Upon seeing Heather, the older woman took the younger woman in her arms.
Seeing Eric go to New Bern had been difficult for Gail, particularly as she and her younger son had not been on good terms when he departed. Gail had been harsh upon learning of Eric’s affair with Mary, and their family had just suffered the loss of April and her first grandchild. She’d agonized over the fact Eric was in New Bern as an unofficial hostage, whose status later became official.
Gail had a great debt to pay the young lady who stood before her with her elder son. It was the homemade ice Heather Lisinski had made that had helped keep Johnston alive when he was so ill with influenza. It was Heather who worked to get electricity for Jericho again, in the form of a wind turbine, a machine that enabled the clinic to keep running. It was Heather who helped to keep Eric alive long enough for Jake and Robert Hawkins to mount a rescue in New Bern.
“Heather, it’s so good to see you. I’d heard…” Gail’s voice trailed off. They’d been faced with too much death lately. She knew that more than anyone. The ache in her heart was palpable when she thought of Johnston, her Johnston, her stubborn, strong, teddy-bear of a husband. Well-meaning people kept telling her that it would get easier, but the void was, at times, more than she could abide. Keeping busy helped, but at night when the house was quiet, she found herself thinking constantly of her Johnston. His end came far too soon. Gail found her voice again. “I heard you had been killed. I’m so glad it isn’t true.”
“Thank you,” Heather replied as she pulled away from Gail. “I’m so sorry about Mayor Green. He was one of a kind.” Though Gray Anderson had become Jericho’s mayor, it was hard for Heather to call Johnston Green anything other than Mayor Green. His level-headedness had seen the town through more than one close encounter.
Gail nodded. “He was indeed.” She sighed slightly. “I know he would have been delighted to see that you made it back.”
Jake squeezed his mother’s shoulder as the three walked in the house. “You know how you said the other day that this place has been too quiet? Heather is going to help us remedy that.”
Heather’s heart started pounding. She was starting to have misgivings over Jake’s offer. What if Mrs. Green didn’t want an outsider intruding upon her home? The timing of it all couldn’t have been worse; their family deserved time to grieve privately. Was Jake going to be putting his mother in a horribly awkward situation?
“Jake, maybe you should talk with her about this instead of just springing it on her,” Heather began nervously. She fretfully chewed on her bottom lip.
“Trust me,” Jake responded.
“What are you up to?” Gail asked knowing that she was definitely missing something.
“Heather lived over at the Oak Street apartments, the ones that burned down the day of the attack.”
“Oh, Heather! I’m so sorry!” Gail exclaimed. “Do you have someplace to stay?”
“Well…”
“You’ll stay with us,” Gail stated firmly. Her tone left no room for discussion.
“I honestly don’t want to impose on you, Mrs. Green.”
“Please call me Gail. And you, my dear, are no imposition. I’m going upstairs to get your room ready. No arguments.” Gail smiled before hurrying up the stairs.
Jake turned to Heather with a smile, looking inordinately pleased with himself. “Told you so.”
“Yes, you did,” Heather conceded.
“Did you see the look on her face, Heather? I’ve not seen her this upbeat in a long time.”
“I just hope I don’t end up driving you or her nuts.”
Jake cleared his throat and walked to the window. He hated where his mind was going through Heather’s inadvertent mention of nuts. It wasn’t even in the same context, and Heather couldn’t have known, but he remembered that day—was it only four weeks ago?—when Constantino talked to him over the two-way radio. The bastard had the gall to express his condolences for his father’s death in one sentence and demand Jericho’s surrender in the next. Jake’s response had been one word: Nuts. Go to hell.
How Jake would like to send him straight there.
Too much had happened for the slate to be wiped clean between him and Phil Constantino. The thought of the man still sitting in New Bern consumed his thoughts.
“Wow. Don’t soothe my insecurities all at once,” Heather teased.
“I’m sorry. I was thinking about…well, things.”
“If you ever want to talk about ‘things,’ I am the all-time, world record listening champion. The honor came with a snazzy trophy and everything. Little bronze ears. Very prestigious.”
Jake chuckled, the dark cloud that had been hanging over him, lifted. “I can’t believe you said that with a straight face.”
“Yeah. Me either. Still the offer stands. I’ll even throw in another offer. I’ll try not to ramble.”
He shrugged. “I kind of like it when you ramble.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Gail appeared at the top of the stairs. “Heather, come on up. Let me show you where everything is.”
“Coming,” Heather called back. “Thank you again, Jake.” She began to walk up the stairs to Gail.
“Heather?”
Heather turned around and saw him standing at the bottom of the stairs.
“A little later, do you want to go get that burger Eric was talking about?”
Her mouth began to water at the very thought. “I do, but are you going to have time? The Jake Green I know was always running from crisis to crisis.”
He shrugged. “They’re in short supply these days.”
“Thankfully,” Gail added.
“Then that sounds tasty,” Heather nodded.
Gail grasped the railing. “Oh, Jake, before I forget, when I was home for lunch, I found your to-do list on the porch. It must have fallen out of your pocket.”
“My to-do list?” Jake repeated, confusion etching his features.
Gail nodded. “It looked pretty ambitious. Since when do you make to-do lists? Your brother must be rubbing off on you.”
Jake didn’t answer. “Where did you put it?” he asked, rubbing his chin.
“Kitchen counter,” Gail replied as she turned around and started down the hall.
Heather hesitated, her eyes catching Jake’s. Something wasn’t right.
“Are you coming?” Gail asked, looking back at the young woman.
Heather turned to Gail, then glanced back down the stairs to see Jake disappearing around the corner, no doubt going to retrieve the list.
Stop looking for trouble, she chided herself.
Heather followed Gail down the hall. She’d been in the Green home once before, when Johnston had been ill with the flu. It seemed strange to be there without him. Photographs adorned the hallway, mostly family photographs, even some including April, Eric’s late wife. A wedding photo of a clean-shaven Johnston with a full head of hair and a long-haired Gail was also hung outside the door where Gail stopped.
“This was Eric’s old room. You’ll be glad to know that I have redone it since he grew up, so no more Snoopy comforter. And his Star Wars memorabilia is safely tucked away in the attic in case of emergency.”
Heather smiled. She’d always liked Gail Green and was looking forward to getting to know her better.
The two walked in the room. It was well lit, as the shades were pulled up. The room itself was pale yellow with a full size bed, a nightstand, a desk, a built-in bookshelf, and an armchair. An area rug lay upon the hardwood floor.
“I have the shades open to allow in light during the day, but at night, you’ll probably want to close them for privacy. Just to give you an idea of the layout up here, Jake’s room is right next door, and my room is at the end of the hall. The bathroom is across the hall. You’re welcome to explore.”
Heather walked to the window and looked out. The room faced the fenced in backyard. She doubted privacy would be too much of an issue. Near the edge of the yard was a large maple tree, complete with a tire swing. The tree had already begun to leaf out for the spring.
Closer to the house, she noticed several wooden stakes with string stretched between them seeming to mark a perimeter. “Are you putting in a garden?”
Gail nodded. “It’ll be my first one in a couple of years. Actually, I was never much of a gardener. Gardening was always something that Johnston enjoyed. I just hope the seeds I have are still viable.”
“There’s one way to find out. We can start a batch of seedlings inside and then transfer them when we see that they’re viable and when the threat of frost is over. Usually April 15 is the cutoff date for that.” Heather paused. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound presumptuous. I tend to jump right in to the middle of things when I shouldn’t.”
“Heather, don’t ever apologize for having ideas and being willing to implement them. I’m going to need you. After all, I know just enough about gardening to be dangerous.”
“This room is lovely, Mrs. Green.” Gail tilted her head, a look of warning crossing her features. “I mean, Gail,” Heather corrected herself. “I cannot thank you enough for inviting me to stay.”
“And I can’t thank you enough for saving my son’s life when you were in New Bern.”
“Eric helped to keep me sane while we were there.”
“And Jake. Thank you for that, as well.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve not seen him smile much lately. You make my boy smile.”
Heather’s cheeks grew warm. The truth was she found herself smiling more frequently when she was around him, as well. She’d been back for less than a day, and already she was being lulled into her old infatuation. She was annoyed with herself more than anything else. What good would it do to harbor a crush on someone she knew wasn’t interested in her, something she’d known for a long time. If they were to be staying under the same roof, she couldn’t allow her emotions to go in that direction, largely because she knew where the end point would be, and it wasn’t going to be in Happily-ever-after Land.
“Is this Jake and Eric?” Heather asked pointing to a framed photograph on the built-in bookshelf. In the photos were two little boys, one with dark hair and the other with lighter hair.
Gail smiled and nodded. She realized too late that she’d embarrassed Heather, and now the young woman was changing the subject. Gail’s eyes traced the figures in the picture. Oh how looking at that photo took her back. “My pride and joy. Jake was always into something. I couldn’t turn my back on him for a second. Eric, in contrast, was so easy to please and so quiet.”
“They were beautiful children,” Heather commented.
“I think so, but every mother thinks so. I remember when I had Jake, I was so proud of him. I’d go to the nursery in the hospital and look through the glass with the other mothers and visitors, and they would point to him and talk about how perfect he looked. All that was without realizing he was my baby. His skin was flawless and rosy. He had a full head of dark hair. Here was this perfect little creature and he belonged to me. Granted, I had absolutely no idea of how to take care of him.”
“On the job training,” Heather commented.
“You got it. No amount of research can prepare parents for the reality of taking care of a baby. And of course, Jake being Jake, it was easy to love him but so hard to tame him. He was and is just like his grandpa.
“Johnston’s father, God rest his soul, was full of vinegar. Completely ornery and stubborn as the day is long. After I had Eric, he visited me in the hospital, squeezed my hand, and said, ‘Well, Gail, you know what they say. Ugly in the cradle, pretty at the table.’”
Heather’s mouth gaped slightly.
“He was harmless, but that day, I think I could have scratched his eyes out for saying that my baby was ugly. Eric was jaundiced, but he was still the most beautiful sight. Jake, on the other hand, was hoping for a puppy, so when Johnston and I brought home a baby brother, he wasn’t exactly thrilled.”
“Surely that changed pretty quickly.”
“I’m sure Jake is grateful for Eric now, but it was touch-and-go there for a few years. What about your family, Heather?”
“My mom died when I was fourteen. My dad just a few years ago. I never had any siblings, though I think I may have some cousins living in the Topeka area. I’ve not seen them in years. Jericho has become my home and the people here my family.” Heather spoke matter-of-factly. It was easier to deal in absolutes and strict facts than to delve too deeply into the effects those losses had on her.
Gail’s mouth felt dry. The events of the last six months had been challenging on the best of days and devastating on the worst. Through it all, she’d had the support of those she loved most, her husband and her two sons. This young woman who stood next to her had no built-in support system. ”I’m glad you feel that way because the bathroom across the hall is a family bathroom. You’ll be sharing it with Jake. The good news is that we do have running water again. The bad news is that it’s hit and miss with the hot water. The heater is acting up.”
Heather perked up. “I could look at it for you. I’m pretty good with machinery, and I’d really like to be useful.”
Gail squeezed Heather’s shoulder. “Relax. Get used to being back in town. See the people you care about. There will be plenty of time to work.” Gail looked at the small bag Heather carried. “Do you have any other bags?”
“No, I have a few things in my classroom at the elementary school, along with a few things at Ted’s trailer.”
“Ted?”
“Ted Lewis. A friend of mine from New Bern. We grew up together.”
Gail nodded. “We’ll have to see about getting you some essentials. The road between here and New Bern isn’t exactly well-traveled these days.”
Heather sat on the edge of the bed. “What about telephones? Ted probably has no idea that I’m alive.”
“Telephones are haphazard. They seem to work well locally. It’s the calling out of Jericho that is the problem. So this Ted, is he someone special to you?” Gail asked sitting next to Heather.
Heather knew what Gail Green was asking. Ted was special to her, but not in the way Jake’s mother wondered. “I never had a brother, but he’s the closest thing I have to one. Only, I’d like to think that my brother would be less messy.” Gail smiled. “So why do you think it’s difficult to get a line out of Jericho? Obviously, the military is able to get calls through. When I was with Major Beck earlier today, one of his men came in and announced he had a call from Colonel Hoffman, and I know Colonel Hoffman wasn’t local.”
Gail shrugged. “Another case of mixed priorities. The military and Jennings and Rall want for nothing. Some progress is made each day, though, so you’re welcome to try to call Ted. Who knows? You might get through.”
Heather glanced at the phone on the nightstand next to the bed. “Rule #9: Hope for the best. Prepare for the worst.” She picked up the receiver, heard a dial tone, and dialed Ted’s number. She was filled with anticipation when she heard ringing, but a feminine mechanical voice on the other end came on the line. “We’re sorry. We’re unable to complete your call as dialed. Please hang up and try it again.”
Gail gave Heather a sympathetic look seeing the appearance of unease on the younger woman’s face. “I’m sorry. We’ll think of another way to get in touch with Ted.”
Heather nodded. She didn’t have the heart to tell Gail that her concern over the telephone wasn’t just about her inability to reach an old friend. No, it went far beyond that.
Someone was controlling the flow of information in and out of Jericho.
“…So what do you think would’ve happened? Do you think Jack, Kate, and the others—make that lowercase others—would have ever made it off that island?” Jimmy’s voice sounded hopeful.
Bill scoffed. “Come on. If they made it off the island, they wouldn’t have had a show anymore.”
Gray Anderson was accustomed to listening to snippets of conversations as he walked through the sheriff’s office. Lately, people rarely discussed anything significant, but in the past, he had found it expedient to eavesdrop from time to time. He hoped that skill would come in handy once again as he entered the military offices.
He stood for a few minutes near the intra-office mailbox, listening to no avail. The office personnel, all either enlisted or commissioned officers, busied themselves, none speaking as loudly as the two deputies Gray had known for most his life.
Through the glass walls, Gray could see Major Beck was in his office, along with two soldiers.
He hesitated. Eric had been so certain that there was more going on than what Beck was saying, but honestly, Gray wondered if he really wanted to know. Things were calm, getting back on track. Did he really want to rock the boat now?
Too late. Beck spotted him and motioned for him to enter the office. There was no turning around.
“What can I do for you, Mayor?”
Gray Anderson stood taller than the other men in the room, but seeing their steely gazes, he felt diminutive. “I noticed some new arrivals today, along with Ms. Lisinski.”
Beck looked at Gray, waiting for him to get to the point.
“I was wondering why they’re here. Are they replacing soldiers that are being redeployed?”
“No.” Beck offered no further information.
Gray shuffled his feet. “Look, I’ve been a good sport about all of this. I’ve been your biggest supporter when, frankly, some folks like Jake Green have wanted to run you out of town. But how do I explain this to my constituents when I don’t even understand it myself?”
Beck motioned to the soldiers. “Hamilton, Markowitz, you are dismissed. Close the door on your way out. Mayor Anderson, have a seat. We have a few things to discuss.”
Gray swallowed hard. Damn.
Beck folded his hands and looked at the man who hesitantly sat across from him. “What I’m about to tell you is divulged only on a need-to-know basis.”
“I understand,” Gray replied, dread filling him.
“The Army is not here solely for the purpose of securing Jericho.”
Gray struggled to find his voice. “Then why are you here?”
“We received intel that a terrorist may be in the area.”
“You can’t be serious. A terrorist?” Gray asked in disbelief. “What’s left to terrorize us with? We’ve already stared at the mouth of Hell.”
“You’re aware that New York was spared a blast, largely through the diligence of its citizens. The attacks on 9-11 were a tragedy, but they did compel people to be more aware of their surroundings and any suspicious behavior. Those who were caught with the nuclear device were American born and carrying authentic looking FBI badges.”
“We’d heard by way of radio,” Gray supplied. “We became so paranoid, Jake Green and Jimmy went to see Robert Hawkins.”
“Who?” Beck questioned.
“Ex-cop from St. Louis. FBI agent. His family moved here shortly before the attacks.”
Beck scribbled something onto a pad of paper before he continued, “Through persuasive tactics, the terrorists revealed information that leads us to believe that another city was targeted, though the attack was not carried out.”
“Wait a minute. By ‘targeted,’ do you mean there’s another bomb out there?”
“Possibly. That’s what we’re trying to determine.”
“What makes you think Jericho has anything to do with it?”
Beck’s eyebrows lifted. “That’s classified, but what I can tell you is that we’re getting close to finding another perpetrator, and I won’t rest until we do.”
The temperature outside had dropped several degrees as the sun slowly made its descent. Jake figured he had another hour at the most of daylight. Even without the benefit of daylight, he knew his way around those fifty-plus acres of his family’s ranch, everything from the open pasture and creek to the small grove of trees, including a few fruit trees that were beginning to bud.
The ranch had been one of his favorite places as a boy. He and his father used to spend hours in the tree stand waiting for deer, usually at the crack of dawn. The way Jake figured it, there were two things worth getting up for in the morning: a beautiful woman or deer hunting.
While the ranch still had the basic attributes of a working cattle farm, his father had long ago sold the cattle to auction, keeping only a few horses in the red barn. Jake had already tended to the horses that morning and hadn’t anticipated returning until the next day. Of course, that all changed once he saw the to-do list.
Jake buried his hand in his jeans pocket, pulling out the crumpled list. Its block letters provided a modicum of anonymity, but Jake suspected he already knew the source.
TO DO:
CLEAN HORSE STALLS
REFILL TROUGH
He kept his eyes peeled for anything amiss as he unlatched the barn door. The familiar scent of horse flesh greeted his nostrils as his eyes adjusted to the difference in light. He pulled a small bag of peppermints from the shelf on the wall, obtaining one for each horse. The four animals, two colts, a filly, and a mare, moved closer to the edge of the stall, approaching Jake. He dropped a mint in each of the horses’ buckets, a habit he picked up from his father.
Johnston Green preached to Jake about a lot of things, which he didn’t fully appreciate at the time; however, the older Jake got, the more value he saw in each lesson. His dad always insisted that he not feed the horses treats that came from his pocket or from his hands. Of course, Jake being Jake, he tried his luck at defying his father’s instructions. The first and only time Jake didn’t listen, he’d been nipped, the result of which required seven stitches in his hand and kept him from pitching in that weekend’s baseball tournament.
Jake’s eyes scoured the stalls. What was he looking for? Something had to be out of place, but everything looked as he had left it, from the water and feed buckets, to the horses themselves who seemed calm.
CLEAN HORSE STALLS
There was no use analyzing it all day. He walked to the pitchfork and picked it up. As he did, he heard a light clang, the sound of metal on metal. He knelt, examining the area around the pitchfork further.
A key! It must have been around one of the prongs on the pitchfork.
Jake lifted the object, holding it up to one of the large windows. It didn’t look special. It was a Quickset key, undoubtedly a house key. What was this about?
Jake gave one last look around the barn before heading outside the back door. With the daylight fading, he found himself in the enclosed pasture. The water trough sat perpendicular to the barn. Once again, he noticed nothing out of the ordinary. The trough was still quite full, as it had rained steadily most of the day before.
REFILL TROUGH
He picked up the aluminum bucket they used to carry water from the creek. When he did, he noticed the folded paper.
Holding it between his thumb and forefinger, Jake read the block letters, identical to those on the to-do list. 5:00 A.M. POOL GUY’S HOUSE.
Hawkins.
It had been nearly four weeks since Jake had seen the covert operative. When the military rolled in, Hawkins rolled out. Why would he come back? Why risk everything, unless the consequences outweighed the risks?
Jake sucked in a breath. Well, he guessed he had another reason to get up early. Too bad it didn’t involve a beautiful woman or deer hunting.