Liquid Lies Part 27

"Fine. And you?" I asked. I saw my reflection in his sungla.s.ses. I looked so tiny. He had khaki shorts over his long tan legs. His face was sun burnt. "Looks like you've spent some time in the sun."

"Yes. My uncle from Owatonna was in this past weekend. You met him before. Anyway, I took time off. We were on the boat both days," He smiled. "By the way, he said to say hi to you. He's always liked you."

"At least somebody does." I grinned.

"I've never stopped loving you CiCi," he said as he reached out for my hands. "Everything just seemed to get too complicated. Maybe when things settle down we can try us again."

I felt the familiar comfort of his large fingers wrapped around mine. But it also felt wrong at the same time. Like I'd tried on something but it didn't fit anymore, when it had just days before.

"What do you think?" Ken continued to hold my hands as we stood face to face.

For a minute I thought about us together again, and felt relieved to be back on familiar territory.

"But you have to know that if we get back together, you'll have to tell Estelle and Hazel to disband that SOS group. I can't have anyone connected to you causing trouble for the hospital," he said.

Flabbergasted, I pulled my hands away. "Ken, enjoy your day. Please tell your uncle that I said h.e.l.lo. As I remember, he puts family first. He's got his priorities straight." I added.

"And about us?" Ken took off his gla.s.ses. "You never answered me?"

"I just did." I turned and made my way to the pavilion.

Chapter Forty.

There were several benches. One bench was shaded under a tree full of white blossoms. Their scent was sweet and fragrant. Across from the bench was a fountain. The water trickled down over white cement swans. Laughter filled the air as children played nearby. This was a happy bench. I sat down. Jacob would be here in a few minutes.

I called Estelle. When she answered, I said, "How are you and Hazel?"

"Oh we feel like celebrities with a bodyguard and all that," she said. "Don't you think that he might be getting hungry? Maybe I should make him something."

"How about your famous spaghetti?" I knew that wouldn't kill the officer.

"Good idea. I think I have all the ingredients here," she said. "So how are you?"

"Great. By the way, I ran into Ken," I said.

Silence.

Then Estelle said, "And?"

"He's fine. He wanted to see if we could get back together," I said.

"Oh no dear. What about Jacob?" Estelle's voice was soft and low.

"Don't worry. Ken and I are over," I said. "And I'm meeting Jacob soon."

"Oh good. You be nice to that young man. I better start cooking the sauce. You know it takes time. I want to make sure it is ready for him by lunch. Hold on CiCi. Hazel, you better leave that man alone," Estelle said.

"What did Hazel do?" I asked.

"She wants to give him a manly manicure as she calls it," Estelle said.

"I'll let you go then. I love you," I said.

"Love you too," Estelle said and hung up.

Jacob strolled up beside me. "You're smiling. Is this the happy bench?"

"You got me." I moved and he sat next to me.

He was wearing faded jeans, flip-flops and a dark blue t-s.h.i.+rt. His hair fell into his eyes. "Thanks for meeting me," he said.

"Jacob, I'm glad you called. The last time I saw you, I felt like I couldn't do anything to help you. I am sorry that I caused you so much pain." I turned sideways to look him in the eyes.

"It's been a rough time. I had to work through some things," he said.

"Were you able to work them out?" I asked.

"Yes and no," he said. "I read the stack of reports that I got from the police. I wanted to find that my dad was the same person that I remember."

"Did you?" I asked.

"I'm afraid not," he said as he looked at the fountain. "The evidence tells it all, pages and pages of it."

My instinct was to hug him. The poor guy knew for certain now that his dad was a creep.

I reached out and put my hand on his knee. He covered it with his hand. It fit perfectly over mine. "I'm sorry."

"I tried to process and make sense of all of it. Find my peace with it and with you." His eyes held my gaze.

"And?" My breathing sped up. Did he want to take me back? Was it too much to hope for?

"See. That's the thing. You're loyal to your friends and family. You're kind," he said.

"Thanks."

"You're decent through and through," he said.

"But your father's death?" I paused. "How could you forgive me when I can't forgive myself?"

"CiCi, you're a good person who got into a bad situation, where you had to defend yourself." Jacob reached on the ground, grabbed a stick and threw it. "Whereas, my dad appears to have been a bad guy all along. Except for the few days a year he saw me. Then he was good. When I realized that, it made sense to me. So, how could I blame you? You see?"

"No. But as long as you understand, then that's what matters," I said as tears swelled in my eyes. Did I dare to think I could be so lucky that he might forgive me?

"We know each other's inner most secrets, and we're not repelled by them," he said.

I nodded.

"Then we're okay." He pulled me in and held my face in his hands. He placed a soft kiss on my lips.

I think I moaned out loud, feeling so content in this moment with him.

"Is this the romantic bench?" He laughed.

We talked for a while. He told me the police investigated him as a suspect. My confession was his alibi. Then I shared with him my theory about McNally. I told him about the death threat to Estelle and Hazel, and their police protection.

"Is your life always this convoluted?" He smirked.

"It used to be boring," I said. "But the safe boring me hid a secret. Now that everything is out, I can be the real me."

"As long as who you are likes who I am," Jacob said.

"I do." I kissed him. "But now I need to meet McNally."

"Do you need me to go with?" Jacob asked. "I'd be glad to go in case there's any trouble."

"No. I'm just going to his office. I'm pretty sure I'll be safe there," I said.

"Fine. I have to go to the job site to clean out my locker. I'm going to follow your theory about McNally, and check around for anything that doesn't belong on the construction site," he said.

"The irony is that Francesca did belong there. That's where she worked," I said.

"But above ground and in one piece," he added.

Chapter Forty-One.

Being a creature of habit, I took the back path through town to the hospital, where McNally had his office. I was almost there, when I heard a dog bark. It sounded like Skipper. I trailed the sound behind a large three story vacant building.

"h.e.l.lo?" I said as I headed around to the back of the building. My feet crunched on the gravel and broken gla.s.s. "Anyone here?"

A large red dumpster stood against a brick rear wall. The barking sounded like it was coming from behind it. I followed the sound.

Skipper was tied up behind the dumpster. "Hey boy, what are you doing here?" I scratched his neck.

He wagged his tail.

"Did you finally make it over the fence to get that silly squirrel?" Why was he here, and why was he tied up? Something wasn't right. Goose b.u.mps formed on my arms.

The sound of footsteps put me at full alert. Someone else was here.

The dumpster smelled of something rotten, with a stench so overwhelming it caused me to gag. I untied Skipper. "Quiet boy." He shook his head. "Treat later, okay?"

Tiptoeing with the leash in hand, around the dumpster, I positioned myself for a better view of my surroundings.

The door to the back of the building was knocked out. Most of the windows were broken. Graffiti covered one section of the wall. This building had been an eyesore for some time. It sat on a large corner lot within blocks of the hospital, but far enough away from the tourist area. It had become a hideout where local teens came to drink.

Clang. Someone or something was here. Please let it be another animal. Maybe a racc.o.o.n. Or a rat. Pulling Skipper close to me, I crouched, attempting to make myself small, thereby hopefully unseen.

I whispered in his ear, "Let's stay quiet. Then we can go play."

He let out a soft whimper as he wagged his tail. Footsteps nearby crunched broken gla.s.s. I held my breath as I turned off my phone. I didn't want it to ring and give away my hiding spot. I got dizzy. I had to breathe. So I took short shallow breaths to steady myself. My knees trembled. Skipper licked my face.

I couldn't stay squatted behind the dumpster. But I sure didn't want to show myself.

There was a low rumble nearby. It sounded like a truck. But it blocked my ability to hear anything.

Skipper shoved his nose in my side. "What is it boy?" I said.

He barked and lunged. The sun was in my eyes, but there was a man. Skipper had the man's arm in his mouth. I went to grab Skipper but the man flung the dumpster lid down. Automatically, I reached up.

The heavy steel lid hit the back of my head, knocking me to the ground. My face hit the gravel. I tasted blood in my mouth. I felt my lip, it was tender. Skipper whimpered. He lay on his back. Please let him be okay.

I crawled to him and put my hand on his head. "Hey boy, it's going to be fine." He licked my hand. I scratched behind his ears. "Did you get a good chunk out of him?"

Pus.h.i.+ng the lid away, I got to my feet. The muscles in my arm ached. I scanned the area, looking for any movement. I saw no one but a man and woman with a stroller on the sidewalk.

I turned my cell on and called Detective Wurkowski. I told him what had happened. He said he was sending a squad car to meet me. Skipper slowly stood. He was dragging one of his hind legs. "Hey boy. I'll carry you." I scooped him up and carried him to the corner.

Tears spilled down my cheeks and onto Skipper's fur. "I'm so sorry. Your poor leg. It's going to be fine boy."

Everyone close to me seemed to get hurt. I tilted my head down to touch it to Skipper's nose. He nuzzled me then let out a bark. Within a few minutes, the police arrived.

Two officers helped me load Skipper into the squad car. Now that my hands were free, I called the veterinarian. They said they would be ready for us when we got there. I told them I was on my way. One officer asked me questions while he filled out a report. The other officer walked around the dumpster and surrounding area. A few minutes later, the officers drove us to the veterinarian. I called Jacob on the way. He picked up on the first ring.

"Hey Jacob," I said.

"How did the meeting with McNally go?" he asked.

"It didn't," I said. Then I told him about the dumpster incident and about Skipper's leg.

"I filled out a police report. And we're on the way to the vet's now."

"I'll meet you there," his words came out fast. "That's it. Until this killer is found, you're not going anywhere alone."

No arguing with that reasoning.