Gray Days and Wicked Ways, page 21
part #4 of Layton Shayne Mystery Series
“It’s a code E situation with every probability of rapidly becoming a code A situation,” Leticia said.
“What does that mean in English?” I said.
“It means that for now everyone at Noelle’s location is safe. But there’s some type of unusual situation happening that has Noelle and the others worried and the name Sandoval was mentioned.”
“And what’s the plan of action should the situation change to a code A.”
“We’ll need to send a team in, Layton, and I’d like you to head it alongside Lucy. But unfortunately I need to play politics first. Like I’ve said before, we’ll need to go through proper channels on this one.”
“You still don’t know where this monastery is located, do you?”
“No,” Leticia said. “But Sandoval might. There’s also a rumor that General Keene knew someone who either knows of the monastery’s location or can get people there.”
“I’ll do some digging around when I get home,” I said.
“For now just concentrate on your job for Sassy at Shiloh Key, Layton. How was Alex when you went back to the room?”
“He looked terrible. I’ve had food poisoning before and he was right when he told me it was like that. Not to get too detailed, but he was on the throne while Forrest had a bucket held in front of him so he could vomit in it.”
“That does sound about right,” Leticia said. “It is exactly like dealing with food poisoning. There’s no other way for the toxins to exit our bodies. You, my dear, have got a date for a swim.”
“Yes, I do,” I said. I left my flip-flops by my chair then ran up to Chip, picked him up, and jumped into the deep end of the pool while holding him.
When we came back up for air, Chip was giggling.
“Make way for two more,” Callum said, then moved the remote control truck a safe distance from the water.
Once Chip and I were out of the way, Callum jumped in the pool with Brandon. The four of us splashed around a while and had fun, until the old men in the group—Callum and I, got tuckered out.
We got out of the pool and headed to the outdoor showers.
“If you’re not busy, Layton, how’s about letting Brandon and I take you three around the lake on my boat?” Callum said.
“Sounds good,” I said. “Let’s talk to Leticia about it when we’re done here.”
As we rinsed off I took a quick look at Callum. His chest was well-defined and he had a Hercules girdle. He also had a surprisingly nice ass that was shown off to perfection in his clinging, wet trunks. When we finished rinsing off, we walked back to Leticia and Callum invited her to come boating with us.
“That sounds wonderful,” Leticia said. “Do I have time to go upstairs and check on Alex first?”
“Sure, we’ll wait down here,” Callum said.
I handed Leticia my room key. “They might not be able to answer the door. And if I were you, I’d announce your presence. Alex only had a T-shirt on and Forrest was in his briefs.”
“I’ve seen worse, I’m sure,” Leticia said. “Give me your dirty shirt and Chip’s and I’ll put them in the sink to soak and bring you clean ones.”
I handed her my T-shirt and Chip’s. “A woman’s work is never done, huh?” I said. “Thanks.”
Leticia left and the boys went back to playing with the remote control truck. Callum and I sat down at the table.
“I’m grateful for what you did here, Layton,” Callum said. “Is this organization Leticia works for as good as she says?”
“From what I’ve seen it is. But I’m a newbie. I’ve only worked two cases for them. Mind you one had me dealing with a cult army that had supernatural powers, and the other had me dealing with the zombies we talked about earlier.”
“Shit,” Callum said. “The idea of working with the organization is a tempting one to me.”
“It’ll shake you up,” I said. “There are things out there that’ll blow your mind.”
“I’m sure,” Callum said. “Gives a man something to think about.”
“Tests a man’s faith and resolve… breaks a man too. The situation with the woman broke me.”
“I understand. The idea of not having control over your actions… that’s some scary shit to a soldier. How strong could a thing be to take over a strong guy like you?”
“Pretty damn strong,” I said. “And I fought like hell against it, but the woman was right I had no choice but to give in while I still had some control over my body.”
“Well, it’s good you still had that much control, isn’t it?”
“Yeah,” I said. “You would’ve lasted as long, but I don’t think there’s anyone that could’ve fought it and won completely. The best I could do was give in at a time when I wouldn’t inflict much damage.”
“Damn. Are you going to be able to have any say in your kid’s life when he’s born?”
“The mother to be and her fiancé are moving into my new house,” I said.
“Along with the cop and Chip?”
“We’re working on that,” I said. “The cop—Forrest, is a little reluctant. He believes it’ll happen but he’s concerned because of the supernatural stuff. Mostly he’s nervous for the kid.”
“You can’t blame him for that. He’s older too and probably inclined to be more cautious,” Callum said, then stretched his tan legs out. “I’ve driven by Carson Court before. Lucky for you it’s a big place, but it’s also haunted.”
“It was haunted,” I said. “Did I happen to mention I dealt with ridding my new house of several ghosts?”
“What? You are good, brother. I’ve heard stories about the court since I was Brandon’s age.”
“Of course I’m good,” I said. “You’ve seen me in action, brother.”
“Yes I have. I thought my wife was gonna faint when Brandon went over the top rail of that lighthouse.”
“And what did you think when Brandon went over the side?” I said.
“Hell, any Marine worth his salt could’ve caught the boy.” We looked at each other and laughed. “Now if it had been an Army man up there, I would’ve been worried.”
“Shit,” I said. “You would’ve been pissing in your pants if it was an army man up there.” We chuckled. I looked at Chip using the remote. “Look at my boy, he stands tall and proud like a future Marine.”
“He sure does,” Callum said. “Not that my boy’s a slouch.”
“Holy shit, man,” I said. “The way Brandon handled himself on top of that lighthouse was unbelievable. Your boy never lost his cool, he even caught my signals to perfection. Tell me you’d been training him and I’d believe it.”
Callum leaned forward. “Naw, I haven’t been training him. But I knew something had gone down up there.”
“Oh my God,” I said. “When Jack came up to the balcony, Brandon caught my eye and held it. He looked at me and waited for the plan. I was able to use signals to tell him to bite his uncle.”
“Shit!” Callum said. “I knew it. The boy’s good, Layton. I’m not one to tell him what to do in life, but if he decides to go into the military he’d make a damn good Marine.”
“Damn straight,” I said. “What the hell else would he be—freakin’ Army?”
“Oh hell no,” Callum said.
“Hell no, is right,” I said. “What are we talkin’ about—Brandon’s too smart to even think about Army. Who knows, maybe he and Chip will join up together.”
“That’d be something else,” Callum said, as Leticia walked into the pool area.
“Sorry I took so long,” Leticia said. “I had placed a call into the office earlier and they only just now called me back. I’ve got some news for you, Layton.”
Chapter 36
All in the Timing
CHIP AND I HAD put on the T-shirts Leticia had brought back for us and were ready to head to the dock and Callum’s boat.
“The boys and I will walk ahead if you two need some privacy to talk,” Callum said to me and Leticia. He’d clearly caught Leticia’s comment about having news to share with me.
“It’s nothing that serious,” Leticia said, “just an update of sorts on Alex, but it might be better if the three of you walked ahead so Chip doesn’t hear and worry.
While Callum and the boys continued walking to the dock, Leticia and I hung back from the group and talked.
“What sort of update do you have?” I said. “Is everything OK?”
“Better than,” Leticia said. “My secretary called to inform me that our medical personnel brought her new information on the blue cure. The process of eliminating the Diony toxin from the body now only takes five-to-six hours. Alex took the cure at ten this morning, so that means by four he should be over it.”
“That’s great,” I said. “When I had food poisoning it took me three days to get over it.”
“I’ve had food poisoning before too and that’s about how long I was sick,” Leticia said. “There is an unusual new side effect to the blue cure. The body is purging itself more rapidly and that means it’s going to need refueling when the process is over.”
“So something like a steak dinner will be the order of the day when all is said and done,” I said. Peeking over at Chip and Brandon I saw them happily blabbing away.
“A steak dinner rich in iron is exactly what will be called for—from what my secretary was told,” Leticia said.
“Hmm,” I said.
“What are you thinking, Layton?
“If Alex really is over everything at four, then that means I have time to take the cure and be better by auction time tomorrow. He can go to dinner and bring me back a steak. And I can have an indulgent lunch since it’ll all be flushed away later.”
“Not a pretty picture,” Leticia said, “but that does get down to the bones of it. So, where are you taking me for lunch?”
We both laughed then caught up with our group.
THE OUTING IN Callum’s motorboat was a fun escape, and we all enjoyed it. We’d spent so much time swimming, boating, then swimming again, that by the time we’d finished everything we were ready for lunch. Unfortunately Callum and Brandon had plans with Melinda, so they wouldn’t be able to join us. Before going to change in my room, I went to Leticia’s room to help Chip dress—his suitcase and things were still there.
“Look at all these clothes,” I said, then chuckled, looking down at Chip’s very full suitcase. Chip was in the shower and had given me the honor of picking something out for him to wear.
“Five-year-olds need extensive wardrobes when they travel, since they tend to have more incidents of the spilt juice sort than adults have.”
“That makes sense,” I said, then picked out a striped pullover shirt and khaki shorts for Chip to wear along with some undies.
“You’re doing good with Chip,” Leticia said. “Do you have any ideas about lunch?”
“Actually I do,” I said. “What could be better than a place with small sandwiches just perfect for a little boys hands and all those small treats for dessert along with a slice of cake?”
“Sounds perfect for boys of all ages,” Leticia said, then smiled. “I’ll take a short walk to give Chip some privacy.”
“I’m sure he’ll appreciate that,” I said.
Chip poked his head out of the bathroom as soon as Leticia had shut the door behind her. “Is Mrs. L. gone?”
“The coast is clear, buddy,” I said. “Your clothes are right here on the bed.”
Chip came out with a towel wrapped around his waist and he walked to the bed. Without giving it a thought he threw off his towel and put on his underwear and shorts.
“Hang on a second, bud, your back is still wet,” I said, then picked up his towel, dried his back, and worked on getting his hair dry. “I’ll go put this towel back in the bathroom.”
“Thanks,” Chip said.
I walked into the bathroom expecting to have to mop up a wet floor, but the space was dry and clean. That surprised me more than hearing Chip had dreams that came true. When I went back to Chip he was dressed and brushing his hair. There was a lot of Forrest in his looks. Chip was tan and had dark hair like his dad and their smile was very similar.
“Don’t forget to put on your shoes, Chip,” I said.
He pointed to my flip-flops and responded. “I want shoes like yours.”
“Flip-flops?” I said. “Don’t you have sandals or something?”
“Yes, but they don’t look like yours, Daddy.”
“Well, maybe on the way to lunch we can find you some.”
AFTER MEETING UP with Leticia again, I made a quick stop upstairs to shower, change, and check on Alex. Things were the same as before, and I tried to block out Alex’s painful groans while I showered. I felt for him, and for me since I’d be in the same position in a few hours.
Leticia, Chip, and I had a nice leisurely stroll through downtown as we headed to The Secret Garden Tea House. Along the way we stopped at a children’s clothing store where I bought Chip two pairs of flip-flops, and Leticia got him a white cotton button-down shirt, matching shorts, and sturdy white sandals. When I commented on how quickly white got dirty, Leticia said that bleach does wonders, and there was no worry about running colors, since the outfit was white. Once again, I couldn’t argue with her logic. She also insisted a growing boy needed something sturdier to wear besides flip-flops, hence the purchase of the sandals. Before we left the store, Chip put his canvas shoes in the shopping bag and opted to wear his new blue flip-flops that were the same color as mine.
As it turned out, Chip had eaten at the tea house before with Forrest. He was particularly fond of the special child’s tea, that featured peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, so he had that. Leticia and I shared the tea for two. Afterward we walked around town trying to get rid of the calories. I went to Frankie and Jimmy’s, introduced Chip to Frankie and made dinner reservations for Leticia, Chip, and a third—I wasn’t sure if the third would be Alex or Forrest. Before we left, Jimmy came out and said hello. We left and continued exploring downtown. I discovered a bookstore just up the street and while Chip explored the children’s section, Leticia and I sat at a table and talked.
“I’m glad you’re going to take the cure today, Layton,” Leticia said. “It doesn’t do to have things like that in one’s system for too long.”
“You’re concerned about Forrest, aren’t you?” I said. “I don’t know how he’s managed for so long with that Diony junk running through his veins.”
“His main priority in life is Chip, and I’m sure that’s helped him deal with things. But, he’s formed a real attachment to you and Alex. Once the two of you have finished with the cure, Forrest may feel like he’s out there on his own. I’m concerned about how he’ll handle feeling like an outsider.”
“He won’t be an outsider,” I said. “But I get what you’re saying. Alex doesn’t need to go with me to the auction tomorrow, so if Forrest takes the cure then Alex can be there for him.”
“Because Forrest was more directly contaminated by the diony substance, the cure will be more intense for him.”
“How much more intense can it get?” I said.
“I was there when one of our medical staff members helped someone in Forrest’s condition,” Leticia said. “There was not only the vomiting and diarrhea, but also an emotional upheaval. It was as if the person’s emotions were being tightly wound up then ripped out of their body.” She shuddered.
“It makes you shudder just thinking about it,” I said. “We’ll be there for Forrest, but Chip can’t be around to see it. I don’t want him remembering his dad in that state.”
“He can continue staying with me, he’s such a little sweetheart. I’m here until that bastard Vargas is gone. Oops, did I say that out loud?”
“Yes, you did,” I said. “And that is very out of character for you. Are you sure you don’t need another dose of the blue cure?”
“I’m sure. There are times when I really hate having to work with the Roman Catholic Church, and this is one of those times. Even knowing we saw the angels, Brother Vargas didn’t feel like being more forthcoming about things.”
“What’s the real reason for his being so tight-lipped?” I said, while watching Chip sitting on a beanbag chair reading a book.
“The reason’s more than a little obvious to me,” Leticia said. “Vargas is not just here to research the icons, but also to make Natasha a very generous offer for them on behalf of the Holy Roman Catholic Church.”
“Natasha won’t sell,” I said.
“No and certainly not to him. But what makes you say that she won’t sell, Layton?”
“She neither likes nor trusts Vargas completely,” I said. “Natasha used to be an architect but now works as a maid and doing accounting for her uncle, so she can have time with her injured husband. A woman like that would have no respect for a weasel like Vargas. Money won’t sway her.”
“It won’t,” Leticia said. “The organization tried to buy them too, despite my objection to it. She was offered five hundred thousand dollars. Her family could certainly use that money, but she didn’t blink an eye when she refused the offer.”
“Were you surprised?” I said.
“No. Those icons have been in Natasha’s family for many years. There’s no monetary offer that she’ll accept for them.”
“What idea did you have regarding the icons?” I said.
“And what makes you think I had any ideas about them at all?
“Because I, like you, am not often surprised,” I said. “And I know you at least a little by now.”
“Probably more than a little,” Leticia said. “You and I trust one another and that says a lot. I would’ve asked Natasha if our experts could spend some time looking at the icons, photographing them, and recording their arrangement. For now she is being extremely cautious. Her walls are up, as they should be. It’s not the right time to talk to her about those icons. But one day the time will be right.”
“And you’ll meet her for tea and a friendly discussion, by the end of which you’ll have permission to examine the icons more closely.”
