Jack laughed. “We’re going to see if we can pick up some lunch for Dottie.”
“You’re so good for her. You’ve only been here for a couple of days and already you’ve made a big impact on all of us—in a great way. Thanks for taking care of Tracey.”
“I’m glad I was here to help.” Jack loaded the kids in the car and Jeff said, “I’m hungry.”
“We’ll call your mom at the sheriff’s office and find out what she would like to eat, and we’ll pick up something for all of us.”
Jack said bye to Shannon and then he climbed into the car and called Dottie on the way back into town. He spied a cougar running in the woods and Trish said, “That’s Mr.Kretchen. He runs all the time.”
Jack guessed he was a little on edge about Hellion and his gang, thinking anytime he saw an unfamiliar cougar, which would be everyone in town, practically, he would worry it was Hellion or one of his cohorts.
“Hey, Dottie, we’re on our way back from the lake. Can we swing by and bring you lunch and eat ours with you??”
“Oh, absolutely! How fun that will be. I’d love a grilled ham and cheese.”
He was glad he could make her day. “You got it.”
“Were you able to take the kids swimming before all the excitement?”
“We did. Kids are getting really good about diving for toys in the water. I wasn’t sure they were old enough to do that.”
“Yeah, everyone’s been teaching them.”
“They’re doing a great job. We’ll be there with lunch in half an hour or a little longer.”
“Thanks, Jack. See you soon.”
Jack had a call from Hal then and hoped he wasn’t upset with Jack over anything concerning his wife’s delivery.
“I owe you, Jack. Hell, I didn’t know what to think about you. I’m damn glad you’re here and helping Dottie, the kids, and the rest of us out when we need assistance.”
“I’m glad to help. How’s she doing?”
“Still in her cougar form. Resting while the cubs are nursing. Lots easier to nurse four cubs than four hungry babies. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to call me.”
“Daddy needs to learn how to ride a horse,” Jeff hollered from the back seat.
Jack laughed. It seemed he wasn’t getting out of that, no matter what. “Yeah, I guess lessons on how to ride a horse would be good when we can spare the time.”
Hal chuckled. “No problem. I have two great ranch hands and a foreman who would love to teach you.”
“So Daddy can be a knight,” Jeff said.
“Thanks. I’ll take you up on it when things aren’t so hectic.”
“Good deal. Well, have to go back in and check on the missus. Talk later.”
When they ended the call, Jack asked the kids, “Do you know where they have grilled ham and cheese sandwiches?”
“No.” “Nope.”
Jack called Dottie back. “Hey, one other thing. Where can I get the lunches?”
He picked up hot dogs and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, which appealed to him right after she’d mentioned them, for both Dottie and him. When they joined her for lunch, she had a couple of calls, and then began to eat her sandwich.
“This is so good. I haven’t had one of these in eons,” Dottie said.
“Me either,” Trish said.
Jack agreed.
“We’re going to have to have another baby shower for Tracey.” Dottie sipped some of her pink lemonade. She received another call concerning Tracey. “Yes, she had quadruplets and Jack was there when she delivered them. Two boys and two girls. Yes. Everyone is just fine. Hal?” She laughed. “Him too. Yes, another baby shower. We’ll let everyone know once we learn who wants to organize it. Okay, that would be great. Thanks.”
Jack smiled at Dottie.
“Mrs. Fitzgerald. I’ve been fielding calls since you were there for Tracey’s delivery. Finally, Mrs. Fitzgerald heard the news at the coffee shop, and she’ll tell the rest of the town and organize the baby shower.”
“Since Hal’s unable to perform as a deputy sheriff, Chase is out on an assignment, and Dan’s still out on personal business, if Stryker needs any help, he can just call me.”
“I’ll tell him. He’ll appreciate it. He’s had to deal with a two-car collision, a black bear wandering through town, two cat-in-tree calls from the same woman, and the issue of a stolen bike. Which turns out the owner just forgot where he parked it. So far, that’s it.”
“Okay good.”
“So what did you do today?” Dottie asked the kids.
They told her about doing their lessons and swimming and then Tracey’s bag breaking and their daddy taking her to the clinic to have all her babies.
“We’re going to play when we get home,” Trish said.
“Hal is going to teach Daddy to ride a horse,” Jeff said.
Dottie smiled at Jack. “I think you’re finally being accepted into the town.”
After they ate, Jack and the kids went home and would see Dottie in three more hours. The house was warm and comfortable. The kind of place that had a feel-good aura the first time he had walked in the door. Bookcases sat on either side of a stone fireplace, and were filled with books, both educational about the flora, fauna, maps of the world, and romance novels, but children’s fantasy books, board games, and the kids’ school books were there too. A book on naming babies caught his attention.
Jack thought again about what had happened to Tracey, delivering her babies, and learning there were four and not only two. He wondered if they would discover something similar when Dottie gave birth too.
When the kids were in bed that night, Jack was enjoying sitting on the velvety blue and beige striped couch with Dottie, watching a show. He reached over and ran his hand over her belly. “You don’t think we’re going to have any surprises, do you?”
“I figure the further along we are, the better chance of knowing. I talked to Tracey and she said she was still so small and the heartbeats of two of the babies were in sync with the other two that it appeared she was carrying only twins. I should know by next week if I’m having twins though.”
“Okay.”
She kissed him on the mouth. Then she stood and said, “Let’s take this to the bedroom.” She knew where they were headed and didn’t want to get all worked up and then have to quit and take it to the privacy of their bedroom. If they didn’t have kids already, no problem.
Before they reached the bedroom, Jack’s phone rang, and he pulled it out of his pocket. “It’s Leyton calling. Have to take this.”
They retired to the bedroom and Dottie suspected that if Leyton was calling now, it was important. But did it mean Jack had to run, or was it just an update and he could stay the night?
“All right. I’ll be over there in fifteen.” Jack ended the call and joined Dottie, pulling her into his arms. “Leyton received word that Hellion and the gang are two hours west of here. Travis and Bridget are going with us and we’re going to try and take them down.”
“Let me know you’re okay when you get there. It doesn’t matter what time of night. Just call me. All right?”
“You bet. I have to go. We don’t want them to get away this time.” He kissed her and then she walked with him out to the car.
“Keep yourself and the others safe.”
“Will do.”
Dottie realized, as she waved Jack goodbye, this job could get him killed every bit as much as when he was on active duty with the army, far away from home. Well, on training missions even. Yet, she also figured Jack needed to do this kind of work to feel a sense of accomplishment. From what Kate told him, Leyton said Jack was already a topnotch agent. So he seemed perfectly suited to the job. At least she’d had last night with him, and the kids had spent all day bonding with their daddy and that was important.
About four hours later, Dottie was in bed, trying to sleep, when she received a call from Jack. “They were at a hotel. We
found blood on some bandages on the bathroom counter in the room where they were staying. They’d packed up and moved on. This is completely a cat-chasing-the-dirty-rat game. We’re unable to determine where they’ve gone to next.”
“Did they leave shortly before you arrived, or has it been some time?”
“We’d say, from their scents, about two hours.”
“So about the time you learned they were there.”
“Yeah.”
“Sounds almost like someone tipped them off.”
“Yeah, that’s exactly what we’re thinking. We’ve let Chuck know since his informant gave him the information. If the guy is in on this with Hellion, he’ll be next on our list. The only good thing is we know his information was good. We just need to get it before they take off again.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“We’re going to get a place for the night and wait until we have further word. Is everything okay there?”
“Yeah, thanks. I was just waiting to hear from you. Now I can go to sleep.”
“All right. Night, Dottie. Pleasant dreams.”
“Night. If you head out, let me know, okay?”
“You need to sleep.”
“Call me.”
“All right.” Jack chuckled. “Night, honey.”
“Night, Jack.” And then Dottie settled down to sleep.
When the morning came, she realized Jack hadn’t called her. She assumed they still were just waiting for word as to where to go next. She made breakfast for the kids, and was really looking forward to not working, and being home with them. And being home with Jack when he could be here with them.
After Abby arrived, Dottie went into work and her first call was from Mrs. Fitzgerald. “Oh, Dottie, I don’t know what’s going on with Dan. Dr. Kate had to make an emergency call to his house last night. I thought you should know if he hasn’t told you what the trouble is, just in case you need to offer assistance.”
What in the world was going on? “Does the woman who is visiting him have a car?”
“No. She was driving his. Then she just walked into his house and closed the door. He wasn’t even there.”
“Did she look injured? Like she was limping or anything?”
“She looked fine. From what I could tell. She was close to the door and went inside, and I was driving by at the time so I had to keep driving. Plus, it was dark out, so hard to tell. Except I could see she was a blond.”
“Okay, thanks.” Dottie really didn’t want to ask Dan about this. If it was something private, Kate wouldn’t explain what was going on. And the same with Dan. Given all the secrecy, it had to be. Was Dan hurt? She bit her lip. If he was hurt, she felt it was her duty to check on him.
13
That morning at work, Dottie had to call Stryker about a cougar who had been speeding in town. “Uhm, one other thing. According to Mrs. Fitzgerald, Dr. Kate had to make a house call. Now, I’m not prying or anything, but it had me worried. Do you know if Dan’s all right? Or the woman? Kate rarely, if ever, makes house calls.”
“Hell, I don’t know.”
“Okay. Have a call. Need to go.” Dottie picked up the call from her babysitter, Abby. Dottie was worried something had happened to one of the twins. “Is everything okay?”
“You wanted the kids and me to plant some green beans and tomato plants so they can take care of their very own little garden. I picked up the bigger variety of tomato plants and I began digging in the garden that you never use. And I found a metal container. Just the top of it. At first, I thought it was a rock. But it’s metal. It’s covered in a plastic sack, probably so it wouldn’t rust. I didn’t uncover it any further. Just in case you buried it there. Do you want me to leave it alone?”
“Can you find another spot to dig in? Just leave that alone for now?”
“Sure. Did you want me to rebury this?”
“No, just leave it. I’ll take a look at it when I get home.”
“All right. Trish and Jeff are excited about planting. They’re both digging away at a spot about five feet away.”
“I found one too!” Jeff called out.
“Another metal box?” Dottie couldn’t believe it. She hadn’t been gardening in that area. Dottie wanted to create a real children’s garden like she had when she was a girl, and she thought it would be a lot of fun for them. There was only one person she could think of that would be planting metal boxes in her backyard. Jeffrey. What had he hidden on the property? But why wouldn’t he have come back for it before he was killed?
“Okay, I can’t leave work. I’ll call Stryker to drop by there and dig them up and check them out.” Dottie didn’t want to risk that Jeffrey had hidden explosives or something else in the boxes that could be dangerous. “Just don’t touch them in case there’s something dangerous in them.”
“I guess we need to plant later then.”
“Awww,” Trish and Jeff said.
“Your momma’s worried something bad is in them. Uncle Stryker will take a look at them.” Abby said to Dottie, “I’ll move the plants under the patio for shade. It’s snack time anyway.”
“Okay, I’ll call Stryker.”
“Thanks.”
Dottie called Stryker at once. “Hey, Abby and the kids were going to start a garden just for them. They found two metal boxes buried in plastic sacks in the ground.”
“I’m on my way over.”
“Thanks. I told them to just leave them there in case anything unsafe is inside.”
“Good idea. I’ll let you know as soon as I know anything.”
“I’m going to call Jack on this too, since they’re trying to run down these men.”
“Sounds good.”
When Dottie called Jack, he was really concerned. “I’ll let Leyton know. We need to learn just what is in the containers in case it gives us any clues. If Hellion is aware of the buried boxes, he and his cohorts might even head that way.”
”I don’t understand why Jeffrey wouldn’t have come back for it, unless it was something better left buried.”
Jack talked to Leyton in the background. “Abby found metal boxes buried in the backyard. Dottie suspects Jeffrey buried them there. Stryker’s on his way to check them out.”
“Tell Dottie we’re on our way. We can’t risk that there may be something important in the boxes, that Hellion knows about them, and might end up there. Abby needs to take the kids to Hal’s place. While Hal’s busy with Tracey and the babies, their ranch hands can watch out for them since Chase is out of town.”
“Okay. Did you hear that, Dottie?”
“Yeah. I’m calling Abby now.”
“All right. We’ll be there in about two hours. Leyton says I’m to stay there once I’m home. Just in case.”
“Can they take care of the perps without you?”
“They said they can. They don’t want to risk that Hellion or any of the others might visit our place when someone’s not there to offer protection for you and the kids. But they also need to stop them if they do end up there. I’ll be glad to be home, watching out for you. I might have to have you and the kids stay at Hal’s place for a while. Just in case.”
“We’ll see.” Dottie didn’t want to stay out there. The kids were another story. She wouldn’t risk their safety if there was any chance Hellion and the others were going to her place. “Stryker’s calling me. I’ll put this on conference call. Yes, Stryker, what did you find?”
“Three metal containers filled with three-hundred thousand dollars in cash.”
Shocked, Dottie gasped.
“So far. And here’s the thing. Some of those bills are only a couple of years old and they have Jeffrey’s scent on them.”
“Meaning Jeffrey had to have planted them there more recently. Omigod.” She felt chills chase up her spine. “Is there any chance they’re counterfeit?”
“Nope. I’d say that he’s been coming here for some time, and depositing the cash when he knew you weren’t arou
nd. There are more containers. I called Dan to let him know.”
“Don’t tell me. You’re taking care of it and he’s fine with it.”
“Yeah. That’s right. If anything significant happens though, he’ll come in. I need to keep digging to make sure there are no more containers than the one I’m working on now.”
“We’ll be there in about an hour and a half,” Jack said, “If the way Leyton is speeding is any indication.”
“Just tell him we want you all home in one piece,” Dottie warned.
She was busy with minor calls to the sheriff’s department after that. She had to tell everyone Stryker was the only one available right now, but that he was off on an important mission. Until some of the CSF agents arrived to take over, he’d be delayed.
By the time Jack and Leyton arrived at her home, Stryker had uncovered ten metal boxes full of cash. He’d been too busy digging it up to count it yet. She was so angry at Jeffrey, if he hadn’t been dead, she could have killed him. He put her and the kids at risk hiding all that money in her yard—if anyone had learned of it and wanted to get rid of them so he could easily steal the money.
“Hey, Dottie, we’re going to be digging up more of the old garden patch, looking for anything else that might be here,” Jack said. “Stryker’s calling you as soon as he’s done so he can take care of the other calls that came in while he was out back digging. He’s in the house washing up. We’ll count the money and then we can take it to the bank. It’s your money, though.”
“Wait, won’t depositing that much cash trigger an investigation?”
“You’ll put what you need in savings, and then everything else can go in safe deposit boxes.”
Dottie let out her breath. “We should use it for the good of the community. I know we can’t report it to anyone, because then there would be an investigation into what had happened to him. We can’t have that kind of trouble for the cougar town.”