Serial Love: Saints Protection & Investigation (4 page)

B
ethany escorted Ann
into the cabin and walked past the front desk to the back room. As they moved through the large gathering room, Jack’s gaze quickly took in the space filled with old game tables, a worn sofa, and bookshelves crammed with paperbacks. They walked toward the miniscule bathroom on the first floor.

Seating Ann, she wet a washcloth and turned to wipe her grandmother’s face. Hearing a noise next to her, she startled seeing Jack standing in the doorway. “What are you still doing here?” she asked, stepping in front of Ann again.

“If I wanted to harm you two, I would have already done so,” he responded.

Licking her lips, she nodded. “Yes, I suppose that’s right.” Wiping Ann’s face with the warm, wet cloth, she glanced back over her shoulder. “I…I should apologize. She hasn’t wandered in a while and well, I…I lost her.”

Ann patted her hand, “Did I do something wrong, Bethany?”

Her granddaughter looked sharply at her, then smiled. “No Gram.” Turning her head back to Jack, she whispered, “She remembers me now.”

She gifted him with a smile, and this time he startled. Her blue eyes pierced his and her beauty astonished him. Not that he was unused to beautiful women, but he had spent so much time building his business that his base needs were met with the occasional consenting woman. But he always made sure they understood the rules—no attachments. His lifestyle and business did not accommodate entanglements. The women he had been with were certainly attractive, but not like this. Her face, bare of makeup, was perfection…only marred by the few scratches from the thorny bushes.

Shaking his head to clear the musing, he stepped back. The last thing he needed was a neighbor getting too nosy. Preferring to keep his life simple, he looked down at her sternly again. “Here, let me help,” he said gruffly, gently pushing by Bethany, taking the antibiotic ointment out of her hands. “How long was she out there?”

Bethany, stinging from the obvious disapproval, snapped, “Only about twenty minutes. Why? Do you think I just let her wander for hours?”

“No, I was wondering if she needed fluids. She may be dehydrated.”

“Oh.” Embarrassed she had not thought of that possibility, she stared at the man who spoke so roughly and yet his hands were so gentle with Gram. Deciding she could trust him, she left the room, moving to the small refrigerator in the office. Snagging a water bottle, she glanced at the mirror on the wall, its old wooden frame built by her grandfather from barn wood.

Her reflection dismayed her. Long blonde hair, mostly falling out of her braid and tangled around her face. A scratch was on her forehead, dried blood crusting around the edges. Leaning closer, she saw a few twigs nestled in her hair as well.
Wow, you’re a real stunner,
she said to herself.
No wonder he looked at me in disgust.
Her mind went back to the other men on his property. Now that the adrenaline rush of finding her Gram was over, she was able to more clearly see what had been in front of her. All seven were tall, well built. Some were huge, others leaner, but all looked more than powerful enough to take on whatever might have come across that fence.
Armed for bear and only caught Gram and me.
She had to giggle at the thought.

Then there was the man that drove them back…an eighth handsome man.

So why did I only fixate on the one holding me? Sighing deeply, she chastised herself as she looked in the mirror again.
Whatever. I don’t care what he thinks of me!

She turned and walked back to the bathroom, wondering how a man so large could sqaut in such a small space with Gram. He was speaking softly to Ann and had her face and arms cleaned and medicated.

“I think you’re going to be fine,” he said as he assisted her up from the seat. Ann looked up and patted his arm.

“You’re a good man, Charlie,” she said with a smile. Seeing Bethany behind him, she walked over and took the water bottle held out for her.

“Come on, Gram, let me get you upstairs. You should have a little rest,” Bethany said, glad when Ann did not protest.

Having to lean back to keep her gaze on Jack’s face, she said, “I should thank you. I know I reacted badly…I was just scared for her—”

“No need to apologize,” he replied, not able to take his eyes off of her.

Licking her lips nervously, she self-consciously ran her hand over her messy braid. “Well, okay then. Thank you…um?”

“Jack. Jack Bryant.”

Nodding, she offered a small smile. “Thank you, Jack. Goodbye then.”

He stepped closer, his feet moving on their own, and peered down into her eyes. She was a head shorter than he was.
If she were in my arms, her head would be tucked under my chin and her cheek would be against my heartbeat.

“Make sure you take care of those scratches,” he said, his hand lifting to her forehead brushing the strands of blonde to the side, exposing her own injuries.

Unable to find her voice, she swallowed deeply and nodded. Then, holding Ann’s hand, she led the older woman to the staircase on the side of the room.

A small sign at the bottom of the stairs read
Private – no guests allowed upstairs.
He shook his head, incredulous that those two defenseless women thought the sign would keep someone from going up to where they lived to possibly harm them if they wanted.

Walking back out to the porch, he looked around carefully as he waited for his ride back. The gravel lot in front of the main lodge meandered off to the right and he could see the first A-frame cabin in sight amongst the trees. Having studied the area before he purchased his property, he knew the gravel drive circled a small lake covering several acres and had ten A-frame cabins along the way. The road came back into the main lot from the left. The water had a few canoes and paddleboats, now tied to a dock. The place looked neat and well-kept, but the years had taken its toll on the buildings.

The Saint’s SUV pulled in front of the lodge and he hauled himself into the passenger side, nodding to Luke, who was driving again.

“They okay?” Luke asked.

Jack nodded slowly, his eyes still sharply looking around. “You all get anything yet?”

“Yeah, thought you’d want a debriefing when we got back.”

“Good. I hate like hell that woman got through, but she exposed a weakness in our facility that we can learn from.”

A few minutes later, he and Luke joined the rest of the men in the basement command center of his house.

Chad began, “We went back to the fence where Mrs. Bridwell crossed. We need to increase the security cameras to focus on that wooded area, near where the creek is. Almost the entire perimeter is on camera and yet she managed to find the one area that was more out of sight.”

“Gonna take care of fixing the problem tomorrow, boss,” Cam said with Bart nodding.

Luke, looking up from his computer screen asked, “You want to know what I found out?”

Jack nodded and turned his attention to his computer expert, knowing Luke would be able to ferret out all information.

“Ann Bridwell, widow of Martin Bridwell. They married in 1957 and bought the land in 1958 with his Army savings. Loans were easy for military personnel to get housing and property back then. They built the lodge to live in and then the other cabins. Did most of the work themselves and hired local help with the more difficult construction. As soon as they got one cabin built, they rented it as a private honeymoon location. Actually did really well for the times. Ended up with ten cabins to rent and have continued to be a steady cabin rental locality since they are close to the mountains for hikers, campers, fishermen, and then skiers in the winter. Martin died about three years ago and his wife has run the place by herself with part-time help from her granddaughter, Bethany, when she wasn’t in college.”

Luke stopped and Jack looked over at him. “That’s it? That’s all you got?”

“Not much there, Jack. They pay their bills, the mortgage is paid off, they pay their taxes. The cops have only been called a few times when someone partied too hard, but other than that, there’s nothing.”

Blaise spoke up, “You figure Alzheimer’s? Is that what we saw today with Mrs. Bridwell’s confusion?”

With a few more clicks, Luke said, “Nothing yet on her medical record although her insurance claims indicate she’s been to the doctor several times in the past couple of months.”

“What about the granddaughter, Bethany?” Monty added. “She’s a real firecracker.”

Bart laughed, “Fuck Jack, you should have seen your face when she came tearing out of the woods like a mama bear.”

“And you caught her in mid-air,” Marc said, joining in the laughter.

Jack grinned at the memory before his body reminded him of the way she felt in his arms. Even as she struggled, his body reacted to hers.

“You got more on the granddaughter?” Monty asked. “I’d like to know what her deal is.”

“No,” Jack said firmly, causing the other seven men to focus on him. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, he was aware of their perusal. “No one looks into her. Except me.”

The men eyed each other and grins spread among the group. In the couple of years they had been working together, Jack rarely went home with one of the women from a bar when they had all gone out. While most of them worked hard and played hard, Jack had been the one to go home early wanting to make sure he was doing all he could to build his business.

Luke shut his computer down, said, “Yes, sir.”

“I hate to bring up unpleasant news, but before all this was happening, we were looking into the murders,” Blaise said.

“Exactly,” Jack agreed. “Thank you for helping with this morning and with securing the perimeter again, but Blaise is right. I still need you on task for our next briefing tomorrow morning about the possible serial killer.”

With that, the men dispersed for the day leaving Jack alone.

*

That evening as
the sun descended over the mountains in the background, Bethany settled Ann in one of the rockers before joining her. The Welcome Center officially closed at five p.m., but the renters knew that she lived above the main common area and could be found if needed. Thankfully, it appeared to be a slow evening.

She glanced to the side, watching Gram’s face beaming in the sunset.

“This was your grandfather’s favorite time,” Gram said. “We would sit here and watch the sun set over the mountains and see the colors flash across the lake.” Sighing heavily, she admitted, “I miss him.”

“I know you do, Gram,” Bethany acknowledged, her heart aching for her grandmother’s sadness when the past was remembered and for the loss of her grandmother as the insidious disease was creeping in.

Alzheimer’s. That was what the doctor had said. Early stages of Alzheimer’s like dementia.
Bethany had sat numbly as the doctor explained what was happening and what to expect. She had taken Gram in for a checkup when it seemed as though Gram was forgetting the simplest of things. Running tests and a full exam, the Geriatric Specialist finally gave her the diagnosis and began Gram on medication to slow down the progression of the disease.

Some days were better than others and, thank God, most days were better than this one. Usually, Gram just forgot where she put the vacuum or someone’s receipt. She recognized their returning customers’ faces but began to forget their names.
And sometimes she thinks I’m her sister who’s been dead for years. And Charlie? She was calling Jack by the name of Charlie.
I’m pretty sure that was Helen’s teenage sweetheart.
Shaking her head, she focused on the memory of the tall, handsome man they met today and she chuckled.
I’ll bet we weren’t what he was expecting!

Sighing deeply, she thought about Jack sitting quietly washing Gram’s cuts.
How could such a gruff man be so gentle?
Her reflections continued as she remembered the way his body felt against hers.
I was captured by him, but with ease, not pain.
It had been a long time since she had been held by a man. College certainly had its romantic encounters but once Gram needed more help, she decided to put her business degree to use here at Mountville.

And who has a security fence around their property? What does he do?
Jack’s face continued to fill her thoughts until Gram cut in.

“I’m sorry, Bethany.”

Jerking her head to the side, she reached over to clasp her grandmother’s hand. “Oh, Gram. Don’t apologize. Please, it’s okay.”

“I just can’t seem to remember things like I used to. I get so frustrated sometimes.”

Bethany squeezed her grandmother’s hand, fighting the tears prickling her eyes. “I know Gram. The doctor said to give the new medicine several weeks to help and you’ve just started taking it.”

A few vacationers walked by on their way back to the cabins for the evening, calling out greetings as they went.

“Evenin’, beautiful ladies,” Mr. Taylor called, his arm around his wife as his two sons trailed behind.

Bethany waved and acknowledged the family that came to rent from them several times a year. It was nice having returning guests. It not only helped with the finances but gave her a sense that what they were doing must be right.