In the twilight hours of the morning, Cotter snuggled close to the woman, loving the feel of her body next to his, thinking for the first time in his life, he was actually content. He would move heaven and earth to hold onto this no matter the cost. I have a family. She will bear me a son. Here is where we will raise them on this land, but man, this house needs some work. In his head, he made a mental list of all the repairs and upgrades he would add to the homestead. At some point, he would need to take a few jobs to ensure they had enough money for annual vacations and to buy his family the things they needed.
I will worry about that stuff later.
****
JUDY WASN’T ASLEEP. She needed to talk to Cotter about so many things yet he always changed the subject when she tried. It would be a two-hour drive to St. Louis to take the train. She’d never traveled by train before or a road trip in a car. True, she and Caleb had driven from Las Vegas to Rocheport in a rented Winnebago, but a road trip in a vehicle was new. A mini vacation before Christmas.
She tingled all the way to her toes in excitement. She thought herself an idiot for falling so fast for a man she didn’t even know, but she didn’t care. Cotter was hers. Her husband. They were going to pick up the paperwork that said as much.
Please don’t regret this. Please don’t regret this. Sighing loudly, she drifted off to sleep.
****
JOHNNIE WAS AWAKE AND packing her small suitcase. In the closet, she put away the extra ornaments from the tree and set bowls on the table for oatmeal for breakfast. Anxious, she ran to the bedroom door, not bothering to knock, bursting into the room. She bounced on the bed, encouraging her newly united parents to get up so they could get moving.
“Johnnie, what time is it?” Judy asked.
“The little hand is on the six and the big hand is on the five,” she said. “Get up, we have to get ready. Eat. You guys need to pack. We are going to Las Vegas! I don’t know where that is, or what it is, but I want to go!”
“Fine! Fine!” Cotter said, sitting up and wiping the sleep from his eyes.
“Yay!” she said excitedly, showing off her row of tiny teeth. “Vacation! I’ve never been on one, but I have seen it on television.”
“We have to get her some friends, enroll her in dance classes, art classes, or something,” Cotter said.
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Judy said. “Teach me to drive and help me get my license, then she can get out of this house.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, throwing back the covers and looking for his shoes. Most of his personal items were in storage in Georgia, but nothing he couldn’t live without. Other items he would replace as he went along, leaving the tools of his trade in the truck which was a modified home office. “The train leaves at four and it’s a two-hour drive. I figured we will get into Vegas about three in morning on Sunday. Head to the Records Department on Monday to get what we need and head back out on Tuesday night. That will put us back here by Thursday night.”
“You really know the schedule by heart,” Judy said, squinting her eyes.
“Best way to travel if you don’t want to be seen,” Cotter said, leaving her alone in the bedroom with her thoughts as he made his way to the bathroom.
“I guess you’ve spent a lot of your life not wanting to be seen,” she said to the air. He didn’t bother to respond. Judy wanted to call him out on it, but his phone rang. Reaching for it, she picked it up to take it to the owner, but Cotter was in the room lifting it from her hand.
He looked at the caller ID and answered the phone. “Stop,” he said into the phone.
“Your documentation is complete,” Gabriel Neary said. “When do you plan to pick it up?”
“Headed that way. We will have it on Monday,” he replied.
“When you headed back out?”
“Tuesday,” Cotter said, not giving any specifics.
“Good enough, pay the bill,” Gabriel said.
“Will do and thanks,” Cotter said, ending the call. To Judy, “Never answer my phone. Do you understand?”
“I was only going to bring it to you,” she said.
“Just remember, never answer it, even if my Mother’s picture pops up on the screen,” he said.
“Fine, yeesh,” she said, turning her back to him. Cotter caught her by the arm. “Judy, I work for some not so nice people. They don’t know about you or the kid. It’s best they don’t.”
“I guess you won’t be adding us to your insurance plan,” she said sarcastically.
“I can add you to my military insurance, not The Company one,” he said, looking at her.
“What do you do for a living, Cotter?”
“I take hard jobs, skip traces kind of,” he said, taking a seat on the side of the bed.
“And the name, Stop?”
“It means the buck stops with me,” he replied. “Clients who are hard to locate are my specialty. I find them and make them pay their debts.”
“Is that how you met Caleb?”
There it was. The conversation he’d been dreading. If he told her now, the whole family trip thing would be ruined. It was important to him to give both the woman and Johnnie fresh air and sunshine and the bright lights of Las Vegas. He wanted to get dressed up and take them to dinner and a show. Gamble a bit, make a few extra bucks to maybe buy her a car that was reliable. Telling her now would ruin everything.
“Kind of,” he said, standing. “I didn’t finish my bath. I want to look at that shower before we go, in case I need to get a whole new tub and enclosure in St. Louis. It will be cheaper there.”
“Avoiding the truth is just like telling a lie,” she told him.
“Tell me about it, Judy,” he said. “Johnnie said you make bad people disappear, is that what you did with Caleb? If I do a thing to displease you, will you make me vanish as well?”
He’d done it again. He had turned the tables on her, leaving her speechless. She stood in the bedroom, wearing the threadbare nightgown, just staring at him.
“Thought so,” he said, leaving the room again.
“Cotter, if we can’t be truthful with each other, then this will never work,” she called after him.
He popped his head around the corner, smiling at her. “When you’re ready to tell me the truth, I will do the same.”
****
THE BETTER PART OF the morning was spent fighting with the shower and tub. It leaked like a sieve, forcing him to realize that the whole thing was a bust. He would need to remove all of it and install a new one. The frustration over the bath situation was levied by Johnnie’s enthusiasm.
At 11 am, they loaded in the truck and headed towards town. He stopped at the Sheriff’s office to let him know they would be gone for a few days and to drive by the place to keep an eye on it. The Sheriff said he was happy to oblige, Cotter gave a nod, and they were on their way.
Johnnie talked non-stop for the first hour. Judy and Cotter were grateful for the silence when she slept the second hour until they finally pulled into Gateway Station in St. Louis. She popped up in the back seat like a meerkat, looking left and right and asking a million questions in the loud orange coat, drawing too much attention to them. Judy whispered in her ear, and the exuberance subsided into a quiet child. Tickets in hand, they located their sleeping car and closed the door. Judy unpacked their things, pulling out board games to occupy the child, along with coloring books with too few pages left to color and crayons which were down to the nubs.
He would get her more for Christmas along with a few paints, easels, and coloring pads. The train rolled along, gently rocking through the midwestern countryside creating a peaceful cocoon in the car until Judy’s phone rang. Everyone jumped at the sound. Her hands shook as she took the call.
“Mrs. Morrow, the death certificate is now available in Henderson, Nevada,” the voice said. “This completes our transaction for services. We thank you for using The Company to take care of your needs.”
“Thank you,” she said as the call ended.
“Everything okay?” Cotter asked, not knowing anyone had the number of the new cell phone he’d purchased for her.
“Death notification,” she said. “It appears that Caleb’s certificate of death is available in Henderson, Nevada.”
Her eyes met Cotter’s. They were filled with suspicion as a sinking feeling hit them both. Both certificates would be able to be picked up at once. At his encouragement, he had her bring the original marriage certificate with them. He knew. He knew where Caleb had died which meant he also knew where they had been married. She fisted her hands, remaining silent for the remainder of the trip.
Cotter had nothing to say either. After dinner in Las Vegas, he would confess all his sins and let the truth be told. Either she would love the man she married or want nothing to do with him. He sat silently watching the child play. Getting to his feet, he left the train car to go to the bar. Never really a smoker, he purchased a cigar, puffing on it lightly while he made a plan with the two of them in his life and a backup plan in case, she never wanted to see him again.
****
THE TRAIN ARRIVED AT McCarran International Airport at 3:15 in the morning. Rested, but feeling sluggish, they walked through the terminal to the cabbie stands to secure a ride to the Treasure Island Hotel where he’d booked them for their stay. He had opted not to rent a car for such a short turn around, and the cabs would suffice for what they had to do.
Johnnie’s excitement over the hotel’s pirate theme was enough for him as a start. Checking in, he left the child to her mother’s care as he headed straight for a hot shower, then the bed. He slept like a log, not feeling the light weight of her body when she lay down next to him. Only a few words were exchanged between them during the train ride and the journey to the hotel. First thing was first.
He needed sleep.
****
THE SUN SHONE BRIGHTLY through the window as he woke and ordered room service for breakfast to get their day going. The cool reception continued even when they left the hotel. Often frequenting Las Vegas, the hitman had a few friends in the city of flashing lights. He’d called in a favor to an Uber driver who would be at their service during the remainder of the stay.
Their first stop was to the Division of Vital Records to obtain the death certificate. Judy produced the marriage license and ordered two copies of Caleb’s death certificate. It took less than 30 minutes to certify her as the man’s widow, then down the hall, she requested copies of her marriage license to a man that left her with entirely too many questions.
To lighten the mood, their Uber driver, John Handy, which she doubted was his real name, dropped them off at the Fashion Show Mall.
“This is most magical place in the world,” Johnnie exclaimed as she made a beeline for the Disney Store.
“No, Disneyland is the most magical place in the world,” Cotter corrected.
“Will you take me there as well, Daddy?” she asked in front of the sales lady.
It tugged at his heart, nearly making his eyes water as he took to a knee in front of her.
“Nothing would make me happier, sweetheart, than to do that,” he said with a smile.
“You have a beautiful family,” the store clerk said to him, making his chest swell with pride. Judy also offered a weak smile to the young woman, who helped her daughter select a Princess Tiana suitcase, dress, and a lightweight jacket with pretty blue flowers on it.
While at the mall, Cotter purchased a black suit, a new dress for Judy, and a cute outfit for Johnnie. The simple gold band on her hand from Caleb irritated him and he drug her into a jewelry store. After outfitting her hand with new wedding rings and a solitaire diamond, he was pleased. Judy, not wanting to admit it the sentiment was a nice one and her first actual diamond, which also pleased her. As the hours waned, the Uber driver returned taking them back to the hotel, where they showered, changed and prepared for dinner.
“I feel like a princess,” Johnnie commented as she twirled around the floor in the adorable dress, white tights, and shiny black shoes. “Mama, you look so pretty!”
Cotter turned to see her in the sleek black dress, the diamond shining on her finger and just enough lipstick to make him long for time alone with her.
“You look stunning,” he said, offering her a smile.
“Not too shabby yourself,” she said, fixing his tie.
“Shall we?” he offered, and they left the room, heading out for dinner. “We will talk after dinner and Johnnie goes to bed. No decisions until after we talk, okay?”
“Okay,” she said, taking his arm.