Peggy Dulle - Liza Wilcox 05 - Till Death Do Us Part (33 page)

“Hi, Tom,” I said and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

“I don’t know what to say first.”

“You should kiss her and tell her you love her, Dad. That’s what you always tell me I have to do when I see you or mom after we’ve been away from each other for a while,” Michael insisted.

Tom stiffened. It’s great when you tell things to kids and then they come back and bite you in the butt. He leaned over and kissed me on the lips and said, “I love you, Liza.”

I put my arm through his and said, “I love you, too, Tom.”

And we went inside, I could feel Tom relax. When the black sedan pulled into Kenny’s driveway, Tom tensed up again.

Michael felt it also and said, “Hey, Dad, am I going to get to spend part of the summer with you and Liza?”

“Of course, Michael, we’ll only be gone for a few days and then we’ll be back.” Tom’s body relaxed again.

“Can I stay with Kenny while you’re gone?”

Tom actually flinched.

When we got inside, I introduced Tom to Sam.

Jordan gave Tom a hug and Sam shook his hand.

“I’m finally glad to have a face to go with the name and the stories,” Sam told Tom.

“Me, too,” Tom said.

Duane, David and Kenny came into the house talking about the Ducati. Art had ordered take-out Chinese food for lunch, including pot stickers for Shelby. Michael loved feeding them to Shelby and Zoie. Julie arrived a few minutes later. She was a sixty-two year old woman who looked and acted as if she was thirty. Maury took an instant liking to her. Which was a great match since Julie didn’t like cooking any more than I did, but loved to eat.

We ate, talked, Kenny made us laugh, and Tom finally really relaxed. At noon, we piled into four cars: my Jeep, Jordan’s rental car and our two black Sedans. Maury stayed at the house so he could get the cooking started.

“Are all these people in the wedding?” Michael asked.

“No, just Liza, me, Julie, Jordan, Kenny, Duane, David and you.”

“Then why are they all going to the rehearsal?” Michael asked, looking out my back window and looking at the two black cars following us. He sat between Kenny and Duane.

“It’s a long story,” Tom told him.

Michael leaned back and said, “I’ve got time.”

Kenny laughed. “He seems more like your son, Stretch, than Tom’s.”

Tom didn’t laugh, but Duane did. He seemed to find everything that Kenny did and said, hilarious.

“Liza has had some problems with some people who want to hurt her because of her dad, so the other guys are from the FBI. They’re here to keep Liza safe.”

“What did her dad do?” Michael asked.

Tom looked at me and I shrugged. How much do you tell an eight year old about environmental terrorists?

“He is going to testify against some very bad people.” Kenny said.

“That’s cool. Liza, your dad must be a cool guy, like mine,” Michael said, smiling.

The smile on Tom’s face said it all. Having your son think you’re cool is probably the biggest compliment any dad could ever get.

“Do you play any sports?” Kenny asked Michael.

“I play soccer, but I’m not very good. My dad played football and he was really good. My mom was a cheerleader. She wore one of those little skirts,” Michael laughed.

We all laughed, mine was forced but hopefully Michael didn’t notice. Talking about Tom’s ex-wife while I was on my way to our wedding rehearsal just didn’t make me laugh, especially since Tom’s ex-wife was a pretty little thing in a cheerleading skirt.

“Stretch was never a cheerleader, but she was the smartest girl at our school.”

“Really?” Michael looked at me.

“Yeah, she tutored the football players and the cheerleaders.”

“That’s cool.” Michael smiled.

Kenny winked at me.

There wasn’t much traffic, so we made it to the Gardens by 1:30.

“We’re early,” I said as we went through the front gate.

“Better early than late,” Michael said. “That’s what my dad says all the time.”

“He’s usually right,” Duane said, then added more sarcastically, “or at least he thinks so.”

Tom turned around and gave Duane a look, Kenny and Duane burst into laughter.

Tom rolled his eyes and turned around.

“That look used to scare the hell out of me when I was growing up,” Duane told Kenny.

“He’s your older brother, right?” Kenny asked.

“Yeah, our mom and dad were killed when I was only thirteen. Tom was eighteen and took over being my mom and dad. They wanted to send me to a foster home but Tom said no, that he would take care of me. That was cool but he was a pain in the ass,” Duane said.

“Duane!” Both Tom and I said, then Tom said, “Michael’s in the car.”

Duane looked at Michael. “Have you heard the word ass before?”

Michael giggled and said, “Yes, I’ve even heard worse words, like the one that starts with s-h and …,” he lowered his head and whispered, “the f word.”

Kenny and Duane could barely contain themselves. They both put their hands over their mouth and tried to stifle their laughter. I looked at Tom and chuckled. Tom finally broke into laughter, too. Soon the entire car was filled with laughter, Michael the loudest.

Savanah and Amelia stood by the house waiting for us when we pulled into the parking lot.

We all got out, including the FBI agents – all eight of them. I grabbed my purse since I needed to pay Amelia and probably Savanah, too. This would put a huge void in my savings account.

Jordan went directly to Savanah. They hugged and started chattering away.

“Who are they?” Savanah asked, when we reached her.

“They’re here to protect Liza,” Michael blurted out.

“Really?” She turned to me and asked, “Why?”

“It’s a long story. I’m marrying a cop, they’re really protective.” I didn’t want to get into the whole story, better to blame Tom.

Savanah started to say something, but Michael interrupted her.

“Can I go over by the fountain, Dad?” Michael asked as soon as he spotted the huge water fountain.

“We need to practice for the wedding ceremony first, and then you can go over and see the fountain.”

“Okay,” Michael said as he grabbed my hand.

Savanah and Amelia walked us around to the left side of the house where we would be getting married.

“The couple tonight is getting married at a church and then coming here for the reception, so the arbor isn’t decorated but we can still practice. I’ll be the minister.”

“She’s going to marry you and Liza, Dad?” Michael asked.

“No, the minister will be here tomorrow. It’s a straightforward ceremony, so I told him I’d stand in for him this afternoon. His daughter is getting married this evening in San Francisco,” Amelia said by way of explanation.

So we practiced. Tom, David, Duane and Michael walked up the pretend aisle and to the right of the arbor. Then Jordan walked up the aisle, slowly, using her best Miss America walk. Julie strolled up the aisle as if she owned the runway, too. Kenny stood next to me and squeezed my hand, then he walked up the aisle and stood by Jordan. I walked up the aisle next. I didn’t have Jordan’s grace but I made it to Tom without tripping or falling, a first for me.

“Is your dad going to be here tomorrow, Liza?”

“I’m not sure he is going to make it,” I told Savanah.

“Okay, we’ll skip the part about, ‘who gives this woman.’” Amelia said.

We practiced repeating the vows.

Michael’s job was to hold the rings, so he practiced taking them out of his imaginary pocket and handing them to his dad.

We practiced the ring exchange.

Then Amelia made the announcement, “I have the pleasure of presenting Mr. and Mrs. Tom Owens. I looked up into Tom’s eyes and I saw his love reflected in them. It was a perfect moment, until the explosion!

Chapter 34

Tom grabbed me and Michael, pushed us to the ground and covered us with his body. Everyone else hit the ground, too. The FBI agents all pulled their guns and ran toward the explosion. When we didn’t hear another explosion, we got up.

“You all stay here,” Tom said to us and then to Duane, “You stay with Liza and Michael.”

He didn’t argue, just nodded and moved to our side.

Tom took off around the building.

“Let’s go see what blew up,” I said to everyone who was still on the grass by the arbor, as soon as Tom went around the corner.

“Yeah!” Michael said.

“You’re supposed to stay here,” Duane said.

I patted him on the shoulder and said, “I rarely do what Tom tells me to do.”

Duane smiled and said, “I think I love you, Liza.”

“I loved her first,” Kenny grabbed my hand. “Let’s go see what went in a million pieces.”

We all four walked around the corner. My new Jeep was fully engulfed in flames.

“I just got a new insurance company,” I groaned.

“You’re going to be on the black list for every insurance company in the state, Stretch,” Kenny said.

“Why?” Duane asked.

“This is the fourth car she’s totaled,” Kenny said.

“Wow!” Michael added.

Tom came scooting over to us, looked directly at Duane and said, “I thought I told you to stay behind the building.”

“No, you said to stay with Liza and Michael. Liza was coming out here, so I stayed with her.”

Tom looked at me and I said, “I wanted to see what exploded and to make sure nobody was hurt.”

“Everyone’s fine. Luckily the other cars were far enough away that they didn’t get included in the original blast. We popped the emergency brakes, put them in neutral and moved them.”

We heard the sirens and Michael yelled, “The fire department’s coming!”

“Don’t you want to go and see the fountain?” Tom asked.

“No, I want to see the firemen put out Liza’s car.”

Which is exactly what we all did. The fire department came and put out the fire.

Amelia stood dumbstruck at the sight of a burning car in her parking lot. She needed a distraction, money always worked for me.

“Amelia,” I said as I came over to her.

“What?” Amelia stuttered.

“Can I pay you now, so I don’t have to worry about it tomorrow?”

“Oh, yeah, sure. Come on into my office.” She turned and I followed her.

When we got inside, she pulled up my invoice on the computer. “What is the final count for the wedding?”

“I’d push it to one-hundred fifty.” I took my checkbook out of my purse.

“Okay, she did some quick calculations and said, “then you’re fine, all paid up.”

“What?”

“Yes, it says that we got a cashier’s check for the entire amount yesterday. We also got Savanah’s check and Hazel made a note in the file that I should give it to her today.” Amelia shuffled through a file in her drawer and pulled out a check, and continued, “Oh, you gave her more than the ten percent, that was nice of you.”

I didn’t paid the bill, who did? It was probably Tom. The man could afford it, but I wanted to pay for my own wedding. He and I would talk about this, but to Amelia I said, “The check was enough to cover the increase in the number of wedding guests?” I asked.

“Yes, it’s fine. Oh and Savanah made sure your wedding dress, shoes, and veil were delivered here today, so that’s all ready for you when you come tomorrow.”

“Oh, that’s great. She really is a great wedding planner.”

“That’s true. I’ve recommended her to several other clients who came to look at the Gardens as a possible place for their weddings.” Amelia said.

“Okay, then. I will see you tomorrow.” I shook Amelia’s hand.

As I opened the door to leave, I heard Amelia mutter, “Since I’ve known her, I’ve found Tanya’s dead body and a car exploded and caught on fire in my parking lot. It’s a good thing she’s only getting married once.”

When I got outside, the fire was out and the firemen were rolling up their hoses.

I could hear Tom on the phone, probably with a tow company.

Savanah, Julie, and Jordan were huddled in the corner talking.

Duane, Kenny, and Michael were throwing a football to each other on the grass by the fountain. Duane threw the ball to Michael, he missed it and Kenny dove for it. His right foot went into the fountain and all three of them started laughing. They seemed to all be the same age.

I went over to ask Tom about the cashier’s check and I heard him say, “Okay, well it couldn’t happen to a nicer person. Keep me informed.”

“What couldn’t happen?” I asked.

“Sasha got shanked,” Tom said as he put his phone away in his pocket.

“Oh, that’s terrible,” I said.

“That’s not the best part.”

“There is a good part to being stabbed in prison?”

“They took her to the medical center and accidentally gave her the wrong blood. She’s in pretty bad shape. I guess she won’t be doing any more jailhouse productions for a while.”

“That’s terrible,” I repeated my earlier words. I always liked Emily, Sasha’s alias, even if she had tried to kill me.

“And since she tried to kill you, I repeat my words, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer person.”

I shook my head and asked, “Did you call a tow truck?”

“Yes, it’s on the way. We don’t need to stay, it will pick up the Jeep and tow it to an FBI impound lot so they can go over it. The guys here picked up anything they could find that might have been part of the incendiary device and bagged it for evidence. Ryder is going to stay with the evidence, so we can
keep the chain of evidence clean. He’ll ride with the tow truck driver and then get a ride back from another agent.”

“Okay, then. Did you pay for the wedding?”

“What?”

“Someone sent a cashier’s check to Amelia and left one for Savanah. The entire wedding has been paid for.” I smiled.

“I would like to take credit for that nice smile on your face, but I didn’t do it. It was a good idea, I should have thought of it.”

“Maybe your mind has been a little preoccupied this last week?”

Tom blew out a long breath and said, “Yeah.”

Savanah, Julie, and Jordan came over to me, Jordan said, “Are we going home now?”

“Yes. We need to all pile into the three vehicles and get back to Liza’s house,” Tom said.

Jordan grabbed my arm and said, “The four women are riding together with Savanah.”

Tom frowned but nodded.

The four of us got into Savanah’s Lexus and she drove down the driveway and out the front gate. Jordan’s rental car, with Sam at the wheel, and the two black sedans followed us. Another convoy!

The light at the main street was turning yellow, and Savanah went through it. I glanced back and the other three vehicles were stopped at the light. No matter, they’d catch up quickly.

Savanah changed lanes, in front of a large semi, from the right to the left.

“The entrance to the freeway is on the right,” I reminded her.

“We decided that you never got a bachelorette party,” Julie said.

“I don’t need one,” I told her.

“I know you don’t drink, Sis, but we thought we’d go out and have a burger together to celebrate you getting married tomorrow.
It’s 4:30, we can have an early dinner,” said Jordan.

“Tom is cooking at home.”

“He can cook for the guys, we’ll have dessert with them when we get back.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I told them, glaring at Jordan.

“It will be fine, Sis,” she said.

“Tom will not be happy,” I told them all.

“Do you always do what will make him happy?” Julie asked, a bit of concern in her voice.

“No, but …, before I could finish the sentence, my phone rang.

“Speak of the devil,” Savanah said, as she accelerated on the freeway going south instead of north.

“Hello, Tom,” I answered.

“Hey, we missed you at the light and are just getting on the freeway. Tell Savanah to slow down a bit and we’ll catch up with you.”

“Yeah, well, that just might not be possible.”

“Why?”

“I’m being kidnapped.”

“What?” Tom yelled.

I laughed and said, “No, not that, but the girls want to take me out for a burger. It’s kind of a bachelorette party without the alcohol.”

“No, no, no. This is not a good idea. Get off the freeway, get back on the freeway going the right way and we’ll pull over and wait for you.”

“It’s just a burger, Tom,” I insisted.

“No! Liza, do as I say,” his voice elevated into that tone I hate.

Savanah reached over, ended the call, silenced the phone and put it into the middle console. “I hate that tone of voice, don’t you?”

I nodded.

“Let him stew. You can call him back on the way home.”

I glanced back at Jordan and she mouthed, “It’s fine.”

Savanah drove another ten minutes and then got off the freeway. “If there was time, I would suggest a nightclub, or at least a bar, but I know how Liza likes to eat, and Red Robin makes a great burger and
it’s close. We can eat and be back on the road in forty-five minutes. That should make Tom happy.”

“That sounds great, thanks,” I told them all.

We put in our name and waited at Red Robin. The place was packed. We were told the wait was between thirty and forty-five minutes. I hoped it wasn’t going to take more than forty-five minutes or Tom would probably have a heart attack waiting for us.

Sensing my discomfort, Savanah put her hand on my leg and said, “The service is very fast here, so we’ll still get out of here quickly.”

There was an entire family from another country waiting next to us. I didn’t recognize the language they were speaking. It didn’t sound like Spanish, the only one I was even vaguely familiar with. I heard the hostess say something about them being from the Ukraine, so that explains the language. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Ukrainian before.

Thirty minutes later, the waitress called Julie’s name and we followed her to a back corner booth. When we got settled, Julie said, “I love hearing the Russian language spoken.”

“That was Russian?” I asked, remembering what country the waitress said.

“Yeah, I went on a month-long cruise and got to see parts of Asia and Russia. It was one of my favorite cruises, mostly because I met a tall, dark, and eligible man. He got to perform in their ending finale show. It was cool, he got to put on makeup and change costumes, several times.”

“That’s so much fun. I have done a few productions and I love the idea of changing yourself into someone else by just varying your hair color or the way you put your makeup on. And then if you can change your voice, the transformation is complete,” Savanah said as she perused the menu.

“He even got to wear a traditional Russian outfit. He looked funny in it but he was a good sport and the audience loved it.” Julie added.

“I thought the waitress said they were from the Ukraine. Don’t they speak Ukrainian there?” Jordan said, echoing my own thoughts.

“A lot of the people in the Ukraine speak Russian, it’s about fifty-fifty as to who speaks Russian and who speaks Ukrainian,” Savanah told us.

“I heard they teach Russian in the schools,” Jordan added.

“So maybe the more educated people speak Russian?” I asked.

Everyone shrugged and we ordered drinks and our burgers. I drank iced tea, but the rest ordered a drink. Julie and Savanah got a glass of chardonnay, and Jordan ordered a gin martini.

“I’ll be the designated driver,” I told them and everyone happily agreed.

I have to say the bacon cheeseburger was great, the conversation light, and I was having a great time.

“So, Savanah, what have you been doing since high school?” Jordan asked.

“This and that, mostly traveling with my husband,” she answered.

“I remember you being afraid to fly. Didn’t you skip a debate competition in Washington, DC because you were afraid of taking an airplane?”

“I got over it,” Savanah shrugged, taking another sip of her wine.

“I love to travel, too,” Julie chimed in. “What are your top three places?”

“I loved Italy, Switzerland, and Cairo,” Savanah told her.

“You’ve been to Cairo?” Jordon asked.

“Yeah, it’s lovely there.”

“You have changed so much since the girl I knew, I hardly recognize you.”

“Why?” Julie asked.

Jordan pointed to Savanah and said, “This is the girl who wore SPF50, hats and long-sleeved shirts when the sun was out. Her mom got skin cancer when she was little and almost died, didn’t she, Savanah?”