some reason. It’s in her name. It has no connection to him, he just has a set of keys.”
Dog jumped off the bed and sat in front of me, big drooly grin on his little mutt face. Looked up at me with pleading eyes.
“Do you think he’d let us borrow his car, too?”
***
Grace called Rodrick, and he agreed to come by. Then she and I spent the next few minutes in bed, holding each other. I felt our son move, struggling to burst out of her stomach like the alien in that old movie.
She faced away from me and I spooned her, smelling her hair and remembering again all the reasons I fell in love with her. Her strength. Her intuition. Her ability to stay calm under pressure.
“I’ve been thinking of some names,” she said.
“I have a few in mind, too,” I said, but I didn’t have anything good. Just like Dog, I couldn’t come up with anything I liked, or anything that would meet Grace’s approval standards. Best to let her pick one.
I sat up when the front door opened.
“It’s Janine,” Grace said.
“I’ll go talk to her,” I said, and jumped out of bed.
My wife’s sister Janine had never been my biggest fan. When she came back from her walk, I got a stark reminder of this in the way she flashed her eyes at me while I was standing at the top of the stairs. She stamped her boots on the carpet square in front of the door to shake off some snow.
“Hi Janine,” I said. “You’re looking well.”
In response, she crossed her arms and said nothing, then leaned down and flicked off her boots. Classic Janine. I’m sure she wasn’t happy about me going on a trip to Texas just two weeks after Grace had been kidnapped. That was understandable. Probably the whole world that knew us felt that way, but they hadn’t been there afterward; they hadn’t seen how Grace and I had come to the decision of me leaving together.
“Hey, we need to talk,” I said. “There’s been a new development.”
Grace came down the stairs, dragging suitcases behind her.
“Where are you going, sis?” Janine said.
“Actually, we’re all going,” I said as I joined Grace and put an arm around her. “Janine, it’s not safe here. We need to take a little vacation while I sort some things out.”
Janine pointed at Grace’s baby bump. “Are you crazy? She’s seven months pregnant and is less than a month away from the most traumatic ordeal anyone could possibly imagine going through. You go tramping off through Texas, and now you want to go on a vacation?”
Grace dropped the suitcases. “I’m okay, Janine. This is what has to happen. You need to trust me for now, and we can explain everything on the way.”
“Where are we going?” Janine said. “Will there be a washer and dryer there? I only brought a few days’ worth of clothes, so—”
“Keystone,” I said.
“We’re going skiing? My skis are back in Aspen. What—”
“It’s not that kind of trip,” I said.
A car pulled into the driveway. A few seconds later, a knock on the door. I opened it to find Rodrick standing on the other side. A hesitant smile rested on his lips, and he dipped his head at me. “Hey, Candle.”
“Rodrick. Glad you could make it.”
He forced a smile. The guy was probably terrified of me because the last time he’d seen me, I’d been covered with the blood of least three different people.
CHAPTER FOUR
I sent Rodrick and Janine out to pick up some supplies. Mostly, cash from ATMs and a few prepaid cell phones for all of us to use. I made Grace understand the importance of not using her own cell phone anymore. Not even having it turned on. She agreed to leave the smartphone world of Facebook and casual games behind for a few days.
I’d have to explain the reasoning to Janine on the way. Or, maybe I’d let her sister do that.
Grace and I sat in the living room and I told her everything that had happened in Texas: about searching for Omar, driving him south, the visit
Dog jumped off the bed and sat in front of me, big drooly grin on his little mutt face. Looked up at me with pleading eyes.
“Do you think he’d let us borrow his car, too?”
***
Grace called Rodrick, and he agreed to come by. Then she and I spent the next few minutes in bed, holding each other. I felt our son move, struggling to burst out of her stomach like the alien in that old movie.
She faced away from me and I spooned her, smelling her hair and remembering again all the reasons I fell in love with her. Her strength. Her intuition. Her ability to stay calm under pressure.
“I’ve been thinking of some names,” she said.
“I have a few in mind, too,” I said, but I didn’t have anything good. Just like Dog, I couldn’t come up with anything I liked, or anything that would meet Grace’s approval standards. Best to let her pick one.
I sat up when the front door opened.
“It’s Janine,” Grace said.
“I’ll go talk to her,” I said, and jumped out of bed.
My wife’s sister Janine had never been my biggest fan. When she came back from her walk, I got a stark reminder of this in the way she flashed her eyes at me while I was standing at the top of the stairs. She stamped her boots on the carpet square in front of the door to shake off some snow.
“Hi Janine,” I said. “You’re looking well.”
In response, she crossed her arms and said nothing, then leaned down and flicked off her boots. Classic Janine. I’m sure she wasn’t happy about me going on a trip to Texas just two weeks after Grace had been kidnapped. That was understandable. Probably the whole world that knew us felt that way, but they hadn’t been there afterward; they hadn’t seen how Grace and I had come to the decision of me leaving together.
“Hey, we need to talk,” I said. “There’s been a new development.”
Grace came down the stairs, dragging suitcases behind her.
“Where are you going, sis?” Janine said.
“Actually, we’re all going,” I said as I joined Grace and put an arm around her. “Janine, it’s not safe here. We need to take a little vacation while I sort some things out.”
Janine pointed at Grace’s baby bump. “Are you crazy? She’s seven months pregnant and is less than a month away from the most traumatic ordeal anyone could possibly imagine going through. You go tramping off through Texas, and now you want to go on a vacation?”
Grace dropped the suitcases. “I’m okay, Janine. This is what has to happen. You need to trust me for now, and we can explain everything on the way.”
“Where are we going?” Janine said. “Will there be a washer and dryer there? I only brought a few days’ worth of clothes, so—”
“Keystone,” I said.
“We’re going skiing? My skis are back in Aspen. What—”
“It’s not that kind of trip,” I said.
A car pulled into the driveway. A few seconds later, a knock on the door. I opened it to find Rodrick standing on the other side. A hesitant smile rested on his lips, and he dipped his head at me. “Hey, Candle.”
“Rodrick. Glad you could make it.”
He forced a smile. The guy was probably terrified of me because the last time he’d seen me, I’d been covered with the blood of least three different people.
CHAPTER FOUR
I sent Rodrick and Janine out to pick up some supplies. Mostly, cash from ATMs and a few prepaid cell phones for all of us to use. I made Grace understand the importance of not using her own cell phone anymore. Not even having it turned on. She agreed to leave the smartphone world of Facebook and casual games behind for a few days.
I’d have to explain the reasoning to Janine on the way. Or, maybe I’d let her sister do that.
Grace and I sat in the living room and I told her everything that had happened in Texas: about searching for Omar, driving him south, the visit
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