Eye of the Beholder (18 page)

E
llen Jones sat in the rocker in the guest bedroom at Owen and Hailey’s, waiting for Guy to come looking for her. She could hardly believe he had offered to drive back to Tallahassee to help Brent look for Kinsey.

Look for Kinsey?
The thought sent a chill up Ellen’s spine. What business did Guy or Brent have looking for Kinsey? For all they knew, whoever had threatened Guy was trying to use her to get to him.

Ellen saw the bedroom door slowly open, and then Guy step inside and close it behind him.

“I figured you were in here,” he said.

“Guy, don’t get involved in looking for Kinsey. Let the police do it.”

“Won’t have to. Brent called back. Kinsey apparently went by his place when he was at hers and left a note. She apologized for not calling, said that after last night she was freaked out about the threat and wanted to take two week’s vacation. Said she was staying with a friend and didn’t want to jeopardize the person’s safety by saying who it was.”

Ellen stopped to let the words sink in. “She decided just like that to lay low for two weeks?”

“Guess so.”

“That leaves you in a real bind. How did Brent react?”

“I think Donna convinced him to cut Kinsey some slack, that she was probably so frightened she wasn’t thinking clearly. Plus, she only asked for time off that she’s got coming.”

Ellen glided her finger along the satin tie on her bathrobe. “Maybe Kinsey’s got the right idea.”

“Why, you think I should disappear?”

“It certainly couldn’t hurt for you to stay out of sight until the police figure out who threatened you.”

“I haven’t got time to cower. I’ve got work to do.”

“Well, your work sure isn’t going to get done if you get killed!”

Guy went over and squatted next to the rocker, his arm around Ellen. “Shhhh. I’m not going to take any chances. But it’s more than likely that the threat was intended just to shake me up. I can’t imagine anyone being mad enough over the case to kill me. All I did was present the facts to the jury. If anything, I’d expect the jury and/or the Brinkmont people to be targets.”

“Then why are you the only one who’s been threatened?”

“I don’t know. That’s what the police are working to find out. Honey, what do you think about me hiring a twenty-four hour security service to watch Hailey and Owen’s place—just till we know what’s going on?”

“Can you do that?”

“Actually, I already did. They’ll have someone over here in the morning. It’ll make me feel more at ease. I have to drive back to Tallahassee in the morning.”

“Why can’t you work here till Monday, like you always do?”

“Where—at the house? How am I supposed to be efficient without an office? Besides, it’s not practical now that Kinsey’s out.”

“Guy,
you’re
the one who was threatened! It’s just dandy that Kinsey gets to run for cover, but you’re the one we should be worried about.”

“Honey, the worst thing I could do is take time off right now. It’d put everyone in a bind.”

“Then at least hire a bodyguard.”

“A bodyguard? Seems rather drastic.”

“Wouldn’t you rather be safe than sorry? Can you honestly tell me you’re not worried about being by yourself?”

Guy tilted her face toward him. “For starters, let’s concentrate on making you and the kids feel safe. Just knowing someone’s watching the house round the clock would give me peace of mind. When I get back to Tallahassee, I’ll decide if I need to do something for me.”

Guy sat with Owen and watched the eleven o’clock news until the first commercial, then went in the bathroom, sprayed insect repellent all over himself, and went out on the front porch. He sat in the swing, his arms folded, and glided slowly forward and then backward, relieved when the mosquitoes didn’t light.

He was much too tired to expend his energy feeling sorry for Dr. Tehrani or the Muslim couple who had gotten harassed at the park. What did they expect the American public to do—trust them? Of course, the situation was getting out of hand. How would this country ever seem safe with those people living here?

Love your neighbor as yourself
.

Guy pushed the floor with his feet and made the swing go faster. Yes, but what was he supposed to do when his neighbor was the enemy?

Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you
.

Guy breathed in and let it out. He started to get up when Owen came out on the porch and sat beside him.

“You okay?” Owen asked. “You seemed upset by the news.”

“I’m just tired. Been a tough couple of days.”

“You and Mom still fighting about the Tehranis?”

“We’re not fighting, Owen. We just don’t agree. Your mom sees nothing wrong with befriending a Muslim, and I don’t want to walk on the same side of the street with one.”

“I think people are cautious of Muslims with good cause. But what’s happening to Dr. Tehrani seems unfair. The FBI let him go.
I don’t understand why the media won’t leave him alone.”

“Because they don’t trust him, that’s why.”

Owen made a tent with his fingers. “Pretty awful what happened to that Muslim family at the park, though. They weren’t bothering anyone.”

“Then maybe they’ll buy a plane ticket back to the Middle East. Don’t expect me to feel sorry for them.”

“That’s kind of cold, don’t you think?”

“Maybe. But in my mind, warming up to a Muslim is like getting in the cage with a tiger. Given the right circumstances, they’ll turn on you.”

There was a long stretch of silence.

“Is Mom okay with you going back to Tallahassee tomorrow?” Owen finally said.

“She’s nervous. But she understands Kinsey and I can’t both be out at the same time.”

“Seems pretty low of Kinsey to take time off and leave you to be a sitting duck. No one threatened her.”

“She and I work closely on cases. I’m not surprised she took the threat personally.”

“I don’t see how you can defend her. This stinks and you know it.”

Guy put his arm on the back of the porch swing and let his hand rest on Owen’s shoulder. “Kinsey must be terrified to have asked for time off right now.”

“She didn’t
ask
, Dad. She split.”

“If Brent had told her to come in or her job was in jeopardy, she would have.”

“Yeah, well, what about your life being in jeopardy? You think she gave that any thought?”

“Look, I know you’re disgusted with Kinsey on several levels. But the threat to me is out there whether Kinsey takes time off or not. Do you really expect me to put my life on hold till the police figure out who threatened me? I
need
to stay busy. Frankly, I’m
glad for an excuse to keep my mind on something else.”

Owen turned and locked gazes with him. “Aren’t you scared?”

“I suppose I am. But I’ll think about it a whole lot less if I’m busy.”

Gordy Jameson sat on the couch in Pam Townsend’s living room, scraping the last of the peach ice cream from the bottom of the dish, when his cell phone rang. “There’s Will.” He handed the dish to Pam and took the cell phone off his belt. “Hello.”

“It’s me,” Police Chief Will Seevers said. “Sorry to be so late returning your call. This Muslim thing’s been a real headache. What’s up?”

“I was just wonderin’ what’s gonna happen to the boys who threatened that family at the park?”

“I turned them over to juvy. None of them have a record. I doubt if anything will happen to them other than a slap on the wrist.”

“Gimme a break, Will. They were talkin’ about beheadin’ the couple’s kids!”

“They got into some beer and were clowning around.”

“Some joke! Supposin’ those punks had cornered you and Margaret and threatened to cut off Meagan’s head? Think you’d blow it off as a bunch of kids clownin’ around? They oughta throw the book at them!”

“You’re overreacting, Gordy.”

“No, I’m not. You’re makin’ too little of it.”

“Why, because I don’t support locking these kids up? There’s no way they were going to behead anyone. The knife was plastic.”

“The parents didn’t know that!”

“Gordy, calm down. No one’s saying the boys weren’t wrong. But what do you think we should do with them—cane them?
They need to apologize to the couple and finger whoever sold them the beer. Maybe do a little community service. But these kids aren’t criminals.”

Gordy looked at Pam and rolled his eyes. “What they
did
was. Somebody better make ’em understand that.”

“Think I don’t know how to do my job?”

“I have a lot of respect for what you do, Will. I’ve never questioned you before on anything. But I’m tellin’ you, you’re not bein’ objective. I’m not even sure you can be where Muslims are concerned.”

“Thank you, Doctor Phil. Anything else?”

Gordy took a slow deep breath. “I don’t mean to criticize, but—”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“I’m tryin’ to talk to you as a
friend
. Shoot, we’ve been pals since we were knee high to a grasshopper. If I can’t be truthful with you, who can? All I’m sayin’ is you might be a little closed-minded when it comes to Muslims—and protectin’ their rights.”

“You’re entitled to your opinion, Gordy. It’s a free country. Just do me a favor and keep that one to yourself. I’m beat. I need to get some sleep.”

“Yeah, okay. I’ll talk—”
Click
.

Gordy looked at Pam, his eyebrows raised. “He hung up on me.”

Pam came over and sat on the side of the chair. “You’ve been friends too long to let a difference of opinion create hard feelings. Why do you keep pushing Will’s hot buttons?”

“All I did was ask what was gonna happen to those boys, then he goes off.”

“Then stay away from the subject, Gordy. It’s not worth it.”

“I don’t want the kinda friendship where I have to keep my mouth shut. Will and I have never been that way with each other before.”

“We’ve never been involved in a war on terror before.
Sentiments run deep, and people get passionate about their feelings … and their fears.”

Gordy shook his head from side to side. “I don’t understand Will bein’ so blasé about it. It’s settin’ the wrong precedent to let the boys off easy because they had a little too much beer and thought they’d have some fun. If the Muslim father had threatened to behead one of those boys, the feds’d be all over him.”

Pam stroked the back of Gordy’s hair. “I’m not excusing the behavior, but teenagers don’t think like adults. I doubt if they fully understood what they put those parents through.”

“Then it’s time they did. If the
police chief
thinks they deserve only a slap on the wrist, what’s that say about this country? Doesn’t protectin’ the rights of all our citizens matter anymore?”

Pam got up and stood behind the chair, her hands gently massaging Gordy’s shoulders. “I wonder if your reaction to this has anything to do with what’s going on with Dr. Tehrani?”

“Maybe. It really gripes me that the media can stalk him, and all that’s protected under their first amendment rights. What about
his
rights? The FBI questions him, someone leaks it to the press, and this great man whose life’s been dedicated to alleviatin’ suffering is suddenly suspected of wantin’ to inflict it. It’s nuts.”

“Let’s hope the focus will shift to something else soon.”

Gordy took her hand and pressed it to his lips. “Well, I know mine will. Do you realize that ten nights from now we’ll be sharin’ the king suite at the Pembrooke House as Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Kenneth Jameson?”

 18
 

A
t five-thirty the next morning, Ellen Jones followed the aroma of freshly brewed coffee down the hall and into Hailey and Owen’s kitchen. She filled a mug with steaming coffee, added a splash of cream, then shuffled over to the round oak table and sat staring at the fruit design on the wallpaper. The sound of footsteps caused her to look up.

Guy came into the kitchen, dressed in his olive-green silk suit and gold tie. “I see you found the coffee. Here’s the newspaper. I’m going to head out pretty quick.”

“I wish you weren’t going,” Ellen said.

Guy pulled up a chair and sat, then tilted her chin up and looked into her eyes. “I can’t just stop living, honey. I’m not going to take any chances.”