CHAPTER FIFTEEN

 

TREVOR WATCHED the boys work.  They had been on the job two days now and already he was seeing an improvement in the site.  They didn’t argue about whatever he had them do.  Guessed they were just glad to have something to do and earning some spending money.

Josh seemed to be the ringleader so Trevor made it a point to connect with him every day.

“Short work week for you boys but I’ve got paychecks for your work so far.  What’re you planning to do with your hard-earned cash?”

“Going to the arcade later.”

“I didn’t know they had an arcade in Edmondsville.”

“Yeah, in the community center.  Not a big one but a bunch of us like to meet there every Friday evening.”

“I’d have thought you’d have a hot date.”

Josh grinned as he reached for the power tool.  “Girlfriend’s going out of town with her parents.  Me and Clay and Norman are grabbing a pizza then going to the arcade.”

“Good that you’ll be off the streets.  Not getting into trouble like whoever did all the graffiti in here a few weeks ago.”

Trevor watched the boy tuck his head.  Knew he’d hit home.

“Hey,” Josh reached for the power driver.  “All your tools have TAG labels on them.  What company is that?  Never heard of it.”

“Trevor Alexander Graystone.”  Trevor smiled when Josh gave him a puzzled look, then realized what he’d said.

“You have a power tool company too?”

“No.  It’s my logo.  I put it on all my tools so whenever they get stolen, it makes it easier to track them.”

Josh looked surprised.  “You, you have a tracker on your tools?”

“No.  But it has helped to identify my tools whenever they’ve been stolen.”

“Sweet.” Josh said.

 

“Okay, so what’s the plan?”  Brina asked.  “Has what’s-his-name agreed to come?”

Brina, Rafe, Ginny, Cliff, Marcie, Randi and Trevor were relaxing on the patio at Spicer Meadows toasting the beginning of the weekend with wine.  The only one missing was Pete, Cliff’s friend from California who was due to arrive anytime.

“Yes.  Miriam finally called this afternoon.  She was all apologetic, said he had been at committee meetings all day.  Wouldn’t surprise me if he deliberately waited to tell her.”  Randi said.  “He always liked to feel important and used his office to inconvenience people whenever he could.”

“What can we do?” Ginny asked.

“You’re doing me a huge favor by letting us have it here.  I’ve already planned the menu and if everyone can just be here as moral support, I’d appreciate it.  He and Miriam should be here around one and I figured we could eat at three.  That way, they can leave and get back to Maryland before dark.”

“What about Harriet Young?” Trevor asked.

“Oh, she said she could come too.”

Ginny smiled.  “I know you don’t like having to struggle with all this custody thing but I think you have a good champion in your corner.  Harriet has been more than fair in other instances and prefers to try and fix things peacefully.  At least she has in all the cases I’ve been involved in.”

“I’d prefer not having to deal with this problem at all.   “I just can’t understand why Tim is suddenly interested in joint custody of the boys.”

Trevor decided not to share his suspicions or what Susan had told him.

“What about Brad?”  Marcie asked.  “He’d be another body on your side.”

“Oh, I forgot Brad.  And yes, it might be good for him to observe Tim.  See what I’ve had to deal with.”

“And Stacie?” Marcie added.  “She came to the wine tasting the other night.  All she talked about was how Brad is so different from his father.”  Marcie looked at Trevor.  “Brad’s father is a semi-retired private investigator.  Stacie worked for him in Richmond until he decided to close the office.  Alex suggested she work out of Brad’s office.  That way she can help him when he needed her and help Brad as well.”

Brina laughed.  “Yeah, Brad wasn’t too excited about it at first but I think Stacie’s mellowed him a little.  She complained about how they’ve had more than one round whenever she’s tried to help him organize and straighten his desk.  Called him a pack rat.  Said he’s always telling her she doesn’t need to be such a neat freak.”

Ginny sighed.  “I just think it’s nice that Brad has someone in his life.  You know, he hasn’t been serious about anyone since Deborah.”

She looked at Trevor.  “Brina, Marcie and I used to pal around with Brad and Deborah.  Her parents were killed when she was young and she lived with her aunt and uncle.  Claude used to talk about how she felt sorry for Deborah and at one point I think she considered adopting her.  Like she did Brina and me. But the uncle would never allow it.”

“What about the aunt?” Trevor asked.  “Didn’t she care?”

“I think she did,” Brina said, “but Tom was like Tim.  Very controlling.  For some reason, he kept a tight rein on Deborah. Claude didn’t like him and always said it was probably because he couldn’t control their wild child.  She always made it a point to invite Deborah to our sleepovers and parties when we were young but never included Myra.”

“He sounds like a nice fellow,” Trevor said.

“Oh, we forgot to tell you.  The uncle, Tom Marshall, is on the Town Council.”  Brina said.  “He’s the one that tried to railroad the project in the beginning.”

“And the daughter,” Cliff added, “That’s Myra White. Another one that tried to derail the project.  She tried to smear Brina’s reputation at the last public hearing.  Then, the next day, Jonathan Grimes gave us an earful about Myra’s childhood.”

Marcie snickered.  “I never liked her and wish we’d told the town what Brad’s Dad had been able to confirm.”

“Back to Deborah,” Ginny interrupted.  “She went to the community college on a scholarship but when it ran out, Tom and Claire refused to help her finish.  Claude said she offered to help but Deborah didn’t want to impose.  She wanted to do it on her own.  Wanted to prove to her uncle that she’d do it without his help.  She quit school and worked in the library.  About that time, we noticed that Brad was spending more alone time with Deborah.”

“She was so happy,” Brina sighed.  “Talked about how Brad was trying to get her to go back to school.  We had bets on when he’d pop the question.”  Brina exchanged looks with Ginny and Marcie.  “We thought he’d do it at the Holly Ball but Deborah disappeared that night.  She just vanished in thin air.  Nobody has seen her since.”

Trevor’s mouth dropped open.  “She just disappeared?” He asked, looking at everyone.  “No one tried to find her?”

“Yes.  Everyone.  The Sheriff, the town, everybody.  But it’s like she just vanished,” Brina said.

Everyone was silent, digested the story, reflected on the young girl who had such high hopes for a future but disappeared instead.

“Does Brad ever talk about her?”  Randi asked.

Ginny nodded her head.  “He just clammed right up.  Went into seclusion for a while.  He was supposed to start law school that spring but waited till the fall.  Then he went away to school and we didn’t see him for a few years.  He came back when he passed the bar but he wasn’t the same.”

“I had no idea,” Randi sobbed.  She reached for her phone.  “We’ve got to do something.  How about if I text Brad and Stacie both now.  Do we want them to know we’re match-making?”

“If it was me, I’d want to know.” Cliff said.  “At least let him be prepared.”

Scott and Sandy raced through the patio just as Randi finished talking with Brad and told him she would be calling Stacie to come as well.

“Dudes,” Trevor exclaimed.  “How about you two riding home with me and I’ll help your Mom get you ready for your beauty sleep.”

“We don’t need no beauty sleep,” Scott joked.  “That’s for girls. Sissies.”

“Maybe, but you need to rest up.  You’ve got a busy day tomorrow.”

“What?” Sandy asked.

“Your father is coming to visit.  Remember?” Randi said.

Trevor smiled.  “Yeah, you need to rest up so you can wrestle with your Dad.”

Randi smiled at the group when Trevor grabbed the boys like sacks of potatoes and headed for his truck.  “Somehow I cannot imagine Delegate Tim Cavanaugh on the floor wrestling with his sons.”

 

“So,” Trevor pulled her into his arms when she walked into the den, “the boys are in bed and it’s just you and me.” He hugged her close.  “Have you decided about Atlanta?”

Randi looked up at him.  She knew he was anxious to know.  “Well, I talked to Ginny and she said she’d love to keep the boys.  And I’ll agree to go as long as we leave Saturday morning and get back by Monday evening.”

Trevor smiled.  “I’ll take any free time I can get.  We’ll be busy though. So, you don’t have to worry about me seducing you the entire time.”  He kissed her lips.  “Just part of the time.”

Randi linked her arms behind his neck, beamed up at him.  “Trevor, thank you for being patient.  This is all so new to me.  I’ve never had a man in my life since Tim.”

Trevor squinted down at her, eyebrow cocked.  “As far as I’m concerned, Tim doesn’t qualify.”

“He wasn’t like that at first.  Maybe some of it is my fault.”

Trevor reached for her chin and stared down at her.  “None of what happened is your fault and I refuse to let you believe that.  For all you know, he may have been that way before you met him and you didn’t find out until it was too late.”

Randi smiled.  “I know.  But it happened.  And he gave me two wonderful little boys.”

“That’s the only thing he gave you and he doesn’t even deserve them.  Wish I knew why he’s suddenly interested in them.”

“Don’t know and don’t care.  I’m just grateful that I have you in my life now and that the boys are crazy about you.”  She leaned up to touch his lips once more.  The kiss deepened and Randi realized Trevor was backing her down the hall.

“Trevor,” she murmured against his lips.

“Hmm?”  He answered while he backed her into her bedroom.

She giggled.  “What are you doing?”

“Seducing you.”  He pushed her onto the bed, then followed to land on top of her.

Randi had a moment of trepidation.  The boys were across the hall.  What if one of them should awaken and find them? She knew the boys liked Trevor but what would they think if they found him in her bed?

The concerns quickly dissipated as Trevor continued to kiss her, his weight moving suggestively above her.  This man is too potent, she thought to herself.

Trevor himself couldn’t seem to get enough of her.  He grazed her cheeks, moved on to her small pointed chin and down to her neck where he inhaled traces of her perfume.  Searched for those secret erotic places he had discovered the first time he’d made love to her.  He felt her squirm beneath him and raised his head to be sure she wasn’t having second thoughts.  “You okay with this?”

Randi kept her eyes locked with his as she unbuttoned his shirt, kissed his neck and wrapped her legs around him.  “You realize we have a few too many clothes on,” he teased.

Randi smiled as she pulled his shirt from his jeans, slid her hand inside to squeeze his cute butt.  Suddenly they were both wiggling out of their clothes.

Trevor caught a whiff of the roses and saw them on her dresser.  He smiled.  “You know, red roses are supposed to mean love but those orangey, peach roses caught my eye.”  He lay on his side next to her, skimmed his fingers from her neck, between her breasts, down to her flat stomach.  “I googled it to see what that color meant and it said they express fascination.  I remember thinking they are perfect for you.”

Randi moaned when his fingers went lower.

“You definitely captivate me.”  He moved over her.  “Bewitch me.”  Once again, grazed her cheek and neck.  “Arouse me.”  He slowly slid inside her.

 

Trevor didn’t stay long.  Said he’d see her bright and early the next morning and would help with the get-together wherever he could.

He decided to drive by the firehouse on his way back to the cottage.  It was late and most of the houses on the way into town were dark.  He approached the center of town and found empty sidewalks.  Store windows were dark, street lights dimly lit Main Street.  Side streets were also lit and with all that had been going on at the firehouse, he appreciated that the town had replaced the light near the firehouse.  It lit the front of the building and the light at the garage behind the firehouse offered semi-lighting of the back.  He approached the site and thought he saw a shadow.  Looked again but saw only a bush.  He turned, drove past the garage and decided to swing around the block to be sure no one was lurking in the shadows.

All looked okay when he drove by a second time but he decided he would check with Hal in the morning.

 

He stepped out of the shadows when Trevor drove by.  That was close, he thought, annoyed that he had worried about being caught on the street.  There was no law against anyone walking after dark.

He’d just reached the back of the firehouse when he heard Trevor’s truck then saw the approaching headlights.  Had just enough time to duck behind the bush.  He decided to stay where he was and smirked when he saw Trevor drive by a second time.

When he was sure the coast was clear, he stood and headed for the back door.  He’d just check to see how much had been done.  See if there was anything he could do to hamper things.

He aimed his key for the knob but it wouldn’t fit.  He reached for his flashlight to be sure he was aiming it right and it still wouldn’t fit.  They had apparently changed the locks he fumed.

He looked at the back window and saw that they had also replaced the window with a sturdier one.  One that wouldn’t be as easy to break without making a lot of noise.

He couldn’t ask Josh to do anything without making him suspicious.

He aimed the flashlight across the back of the lot.  Saw the shadow of the scrap pile and could see that it had grown.  They must be making progress inside.