Heartbreaker

  He paused to take a drink of water before continuing. “There was this guy leaning over the cement wall. Turns out he was real drunk, and he was shouting like all the other fans, holding a beer in one hand, and a little kid in the other. He had the toddler sitting on the ledge. Can you believe how stupid that was?” he asked. “But like I said, he was drunk.”

  “Did he drop the baby?”

  “He sure did, but Nick had been watching. He told me later that, when he was running, he saw the man grab at the kid once, but he didn’t pull him back. He just kind of hung on to him and let him dangle half off the wall. Nick was running like there was no tomorrow at this point, and he didn’t have anyone on his tail. He scored the touchdown but kept on running as he was turning. He thought he’d stand under that wall until someone made the father remove the kid, but when he was about ten feet away, the guy lost his grip and the kid came flying down. The fall would have killed him. Nick caught him, and honest to God, it was a beautiful thing to see.”

  The story astounded her. She thought of a hundred questions to ask, but Noah turned her attention when he said, “After the game, Nick was suspended.”

  “What?”

  “It’s true,” he insisted. “After the game was over, the father came into the locker room with the cameramen. He was still drunk, of course, and some of the guys told me he was loving the attention he was getting. Anyway, he wanted to thank Nick for saving his kid, but Nick came around the corner, saw him, and hauled off and decked him. He knocked him out.”

  “And that’s why he was suspended.”

  “Yeah, but it didn’t last. The public outcry swayed the coach, who probably really didn’t want to suspend Nick anyway. I could understand where Nick was coming from. He didn’t want to hear any excuses from the drunk.”

  The waiter appeared and placed a basket of rolls between them. Noah grabbed one as he said, “Okay, it’s your turn. You tell me something.”

  “What would you like to know?”

  “How come Tommy lived with Nick’s family while he was growing up?”

  “My father was opening an office in Boston and had come over to set up a house, and he’d brought Tommy along so that he could get registered at school and start a new term. I was just a baby then, and I stayed with Mother. She was going to finish packing and follow Father. But then everything changed. Father was killed in a car crash, and for a while, Tommy was left in the care of the housekeeper. Mother couldn’t cope with the loss. Tommy was only supposed to stay in Boston until the school year ended, and Mother was supposed to fly over and stay with him until then, but she wasn’t stable enough to go anywhere. Grandfather told me she was drinking heavily and taking pills. Some of the pills were to help her sleep, and some were to help her wake up. She died of an overdose.”

  “Suicide?”

  “I think so, yes. Grandfather said it was a combination of alcohol and sleeping pills. He wanted to believe it was an accident.”

  “That’s a deadly combination.”

  She nodded. “After she died, Grandfather was stuck with Tommy and me. He wanted to do the right thing, and he knew Tommy was happy in Boston. Judge Buchanan called him out of the blue and suggested that Tommy live with his family until things settled down. Nick and Tommy had become best friends, and Tommy spent most of his time with the family anyway. The judge can be very persuasive. Like Mother, Grandfather thought it would be for a little while, but then he died.”

  “And Tommy got to stay where he was.”

  “Yes.”

  “What about you?”

  She lifted her shoulders. “I was placed in a boarding school. After I graduated from university, I went to Paris for a year to study art, then I came to the United States and took a job in Chicago. I lived there for nine months, and then I moved to Holy Oaks. Nothing razzle-dazzle about my background.”

  “You were left out in the cold, weren’t you? Tommy had this nice big family to call his own, but you didn’t have anyone.”

  “I was happy.”

  “You couldn’t have been happy.”

  “Here they come,” she said. “I don’t want to talk about this anymore. All right?”

  “Sure.”

  Nick was chuckling as he sat down. “What’s so funny?” Noah asked.

  He looked at Laurant before he answered. “The men in town have given Laurant a nickname.”

  “Yeah? So what do they call her?” Noah asked.

  “Ice Woman, or just plain Ice,” Tommy said.

  All three of them laughed, but Laurant wasn’t amused. “You’re a blabbermouth, Tommy.”

  “Hey, he asked.”

  She gave her brother a look that told him she was going to give him hell later. Then Nick drew her attention when he leaned close to her and whispered in her ear. “You sure don’t kiss like ice.”

  The waiter appeared to take their orders, but as soon as he left, the men took turns teasing her. Finally, when she had had enough, she took the upper hand.

  “I heard Penn State is going to have a real bad football season. They lost their star quarterback.”

  She hadn’t heard any such thing, of course, but that didn’t matter. As soon as she said the word football, their minds clicked into sports mode. It was as easy as getting a baby to eat candy. She leaned back in her chair and smiled complacently.

  Nick and Tommy had played ball for Penn State, and Noah, as it turned out, had been a running back for Michigan State, so each one of them believed he was the authority. During dinner they argued about draft choices and pretty much ignored her. She couldn’t have been happier.

  On their way out of the restaurant, a family of six called Tommy over to their table. Noah stayed with him, and Nick and Laurant went on outside.

  Lonnie was waiting for them. His Chevy Nova careened into the parking lot as Nick and Laurant were heading toward their car. The Chevy came to a screeching halt in the center of the lot, just a few feet from them. Nick pushed Laurant between two cars, then got in front of her, waiting to see what the driver was going to do.

  Lonnie wasn’t alone. There were three others in the car with him, all from the nearby town of Nugent, and all with juvenile records. Whenever Lonnie had an important job to do for Steve Brenner, he made sure his friends were included. He gave them only a pittance of the money Steve paid, but they were too stupid to think that he might be screwing them out of their fair share. Besides, they were in it for the fun, not the cash, and Lonnie had another reason for involving them. If things went bad, they’d take the rap. His good-for-nothing father would have to let him go. How would it look if the sheriff’s son were tossed in jail? Being a big man around town meant everything to him, and Lonnie figured he could get away with murder as long as he was careful.

  Steve had told Lonnie that Laurant and her boyfriend were driving an Explorer, and they were standing next to a new, red Ford Explorer. Steve hadn’t told him anything about Nick, just that he was claiming to be Laurant’s fiancé. Since Steve planned to marry Laurant, Lonnie needed to put the fear of God into Nick. “Run him out of town,” Steve had ordered, and Lonnie, salivating over the wad of cash Steve dangled in front of him, promised to do just that.

  “That’s the sheriff’s son, Lonnie,” Laurant whispered. “What’s he up to?”

  “Looks like we’re going to find out real soon,” he whispered back. Then he shouted, “Hey, kid, move your car.”

  Lonnie left the motor running as he opened the door and jumped out. He was tall and gangly, his complexion marred by acne scars. His thin lips disappeared inside his sneer, and his hair hung down in his face in long, oily strands. Nick judged him to be around eighteen or nineteen years old.

  This one was already a lost cause. He could see it in his eyes.

  “Let’s start with the car,” Lonnie told his friends. “Trash it.” He pulled his switchblade knife out of his back pocket. Snickering, he boasted to his friends, “I’m going to scare the shit out of Mr. Big City. Watch and learn.” He fli
pped the dirty blade open as he slowly advanced. “Laura, you’re gonna be riding home with us, ’cause your boyfriend’s car’s going to be a piece of shit by the time I get finished with it.”

  Nick laughed. It wasn’t the response Lonnie had anticipated. “What’s so damned funny?”

  “You,” Nick answered. He spotted Noah shoving Tommy behind him as he rushed down the stairs toward them. He called out to him. “Hey, Noah, the local thug wants to trash the new car.”

  “But that’s . . . ,” Tommy began.

  “Sure it is,” Nick interrupted.

  “Lonnie, what do you think you’re doing? Put that knife away,” Tommy ordered.

  “I got some business with Laura,” Lonnie said. “You and the other priest go on inside.”

  “Is this guy stupid or what?” Noah asked incredulously.

  “I’m thinking he must be,” Nick drawled as he reached inside his jacket and flipped the snap holding his gun in place.

  Furious that he was being mocked in front of his friends, Lonnie lunged forward and thrust the knife into the left front tire. Then he stabbed it again, smiling when he heard the hiss of air.

  “Still think I’m stupid?”

  “Thank the Lord we have a spare,” Noah called out. He was busy keeping Tommy behind him and trying to watch the morons at the same time.

  Lonnie reacted just the way Noah hoped. He sliced the other tire. His friends hooted with laughter, and that only encouraged him. He carved a jagged line in the grille, then did the same to the hood.

  Then he stepped back to survey his handiwork. “Now how are you going to get home?” he taunted.

  Nick shrugged. “I figured I’d drive my car.”

  “With two flat tires?”

  Nick smiled. “This isn’t my car.”

  Lonnie blinked. Nick took a step toward him as he called out, “Noah, maybe you ought to go inside and get the sheriff. He’ll want to know his kid’s been messing with his car.”

  “Shit!” Lonnie shouted.

  “Drop the knife. Do it now,” he ordered. “Don’t make this any worse than it already is. You’ve destroyed private property, and threatening a federal—”

  He was about to tell Lonnie he was an FBI agent but wasn’t given the chance.

  “Nobody makes a fool out of me,” Lonnie hissed.

  “You did that all by yourself,” Nick countered. “Now drop the knife. This is your last warning.”

  Lonnie lunged, shouting, “I’m going to cut you up into pieces, you asshole.”

  The boast was empty. “Yeah, right,” Nick said as he kneed Lonnie, then snatched the knife and tossed it to the ground. He slammed him into the car, setting off the alarm.

  It happened so fast, Laurant didn’t have time to blink. Lonnie was doubling over, screaming in agony. She saw the knife and stepped back so she could kick it under the car.

  The second the alarm went off, Lonnie’s buddies scrambled to their car and piled in. Nick let go of Lonnie and watched him collapse.

  “You asshole. I’m going to—”

  “Oh, look. Here comes Daddy,” Nick said cheerfully.

  The sheriff was running down the stairs, his big stomach jiggling up and down. In the meantime, the three boys in the car were all frantically trying to find the keys. Noah strolled over to the driver’s side and said, “Looking for these?”

  “We didn’t do nothing. It was all Lonnie’s idea.”

  “Shut up, Ricky,” the boy in the backseat shouted.

  “Get out of the car,” Noah ordered. “Nice and easy, and keep your hands where I can see them.” He didn’t want to blow his cover, but he had his hand in his jacket on the butt of his Glock just in case one of them pulled a gun on him.

  The sheriff looked like he wanted to cry. “My new car? Look at my new car. Did you do this, boy? Did you?”

  Lonnie struggled to his feet. “No,” he sneered. “That asshole did it,” he added, pointing to Nick. “And he kicked me in my knee too.”

  “I was going to tell you I bought myself a new car,” the sheriff continued, as though he hadn’t heard a word Lonnie had said. “I was going to tell you. I was going to let you drive it too.” He trailed his hand along the deep scratches in the hood, his eyes misty. “It wasn’t even perfect for one whole day. I just picked it up.”

  “I’m telling you, the asshole did it,” Lonnie said again.

  “The kid needs some work on his vocabulary,” Noah said.

  “Are you going to believe me or not?” Lonnie shouted at his father. “I’m telling you for the last time, he cut your tires and scratched the paint.”

  Laurant was incensed. She pushed past Nick to face the sheriff. “I know he’s your son and that this is difficult for you, but you are the sheriff, and you have to do your job. Lonnie’s lying. He did the damage. He thought your new car belonged to my fiancé. Like it or not, you’re going to have to arrest him.”

  Lloyd put his hands up. “Slow down, Laura. No reason to be hasty. It’s my car and I’ll make sure my boy pays the consequences if he did the damage, but he’s saying your boyfriend—”

  Laurant cut him off. She was so angry, she was sputtering. “He’s lying,” she repeated. “There are four witnesses. My brother, Father Clayborne, Nick, and me. You have to arrest him.”

  “Well, now, the way I see it, that’s four against four, ’cause I’m sure Lonnie’s friends are going to back him up, and I don’t have any reason at all not to believe them.”

  “Lonnie threatened us with a knife.”

  Looking past Laurant to Nick, the sheriff demanded, “You’d best get your woman under control. I’m not going to put up with her yapping at me. Now you just back away, Laura, and hold your tongue.”

  Laurant couldn’t believe the sheriff was talking to her as though she were a naughty child. “Hold my tongue? I don’t think so,” she said. “Do something,” she demanded.

  The sheriff glared at her. “I am going to do something,” he announced. “You there,” he muttered, pointing to Nick. “I want to see some identification, and I want to see it now.”

  Laurant’s temper exploded. She turned to Tommy and spoke in rapid French, telling him what an incompetent fool she thought the sheriff was. In fluent French, Nick told her to calm down.

  The sheriff’s hands were balled into fists, and he kept glancing at his son. He wanted to kick some sense into the boy, and it took a good deal of discipline to control his fury. Besides, if he did give in to his temper, there was a good chance that Lonnie would strike back and beat the crap out of him. Lonnie had done it before, and Lloyd knew he would do it again.

  “I said I want to see some identification.”

  “No problem,” Nick replied as he pulled out his badge and flipped it open. “Nicholas Buchanan, Sheriff. FBI.”

  “Ah shit,” the sheriff moaned.

  “You’re going to have to lock him up. I’ll come by tomorrow and fill out the paperwork.”

  “What paperwork, Mr. FBI agent? It was my car that got damaged. Lonnie, stop your snickering or I swear I’ll backhand you.”

  Noah came up behind the sheriff. “I’m not real familiar with the law, being a priest and all,” he said, “but it seems to me that a crime was committed here by your son. Lonnie threatened an FBI agent with a knife, and that’s some kind of a crime, isn’t it?”

  “Well now, maybe it is and maybe it isn’t,” the sheriff hedged. “I don’t see a knife, so what you’re claiming might just be fabrication. Do you see my dilemma?”

  “The knife’s under the car,” Noah told him.

  Trying to buy some time while he figured out what he was going to do, the sheriff muttered, “How’d it get under the car?”

  “I kicked it there,” Laurant said.

  “What were you doing with a knife?”

  “Oh, for the love of . . . ,” she began.

  The sheriff took his hat off and scratched his head. “Now here’s what I’m going to do. You all go on home now and let me
deal with this. You can come on by the office tomorrow, but you call me first,” he told Nick. “I’ll have it all sorted out by then. Go on home now.”

  Laurant was so furious she was shaking. Without a word, she turned her back on the sheriff and walked to Nick’s car, her high heels clicking hard on the pavement.

  Nick could hear her muttering under her breath. As he opened the passenger door for her, he took hold of her hand. “Are you all right? You’re trembling. You weren’t scared, were you? I wouldn’t have let anything happen to you. You do know that, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” she said. “I’m just angry, that’s all. The sheriff isn’t going to do anything about Lonnie. He certainly won’t arrest him. You just wait and see.”

  “You are angry.”

  “He had a knife,” she cried out. “He could have hurt you.”

  Nick was taken aback. “You were worried about me?”

  Tommy and Noah were getting into the backseat, and she didn’t want them to hear her. “Of course I was worried about you. Now will you stop grinning like an idiot and get in the car? I want to go home.”

  He wanted to kiss her, but he settled on squeezing her hand instead. It was a sorry substitute.

  “Sheriff,” Nick called out as he walked around to the driver’s side. “I’m going to want to talk to your son tomorrow.”

  Tommy was craning his neck to look out the back window when Nick drove the car out of the parking lot. He could see the sheriff arguing with Lonnie.

  “You don’t think Lonnie could be the guy who’s stalking Laurant, do you?”

  “We’re going to check him out,” Nick answered. “But I don’t think he’s the man we’re after. Lonnie doesn’t strike me as real intelligent.”

  “The kid’s a moron,” Noah said.

  “Yeah, well, you did your part to spur him on,” Nick said.

  “How’d I do that?” he asked innocently.