Page 26 of Exposed

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The ninety-minute drive passed quickly for Alex, as he couldn’t resist a quick dive into the deep end of the latest quarterly projections. Something about the hum of this car and the portfolio on his lap urged him to go full-on work mode. Madison was pleased that his preoccupation kept him from the anticipated chorus of “where are we going?” and “when will we get there?”

Madison pulled up in front of a home on a quaint country road. The houses were close enough to be considered a neighborhood, yet uncrowded. They were scattered on large, tree-filled lots, where the residents enjoyed privacy, but not solitude. As Madison cut the engine, Alex tore his gaze from the report and peered up. They were before a house, sweet and alive with spring flowers and sparrows flittering to and from feeders, hung about to entice birdwatching. It was a house he knew well, but hadn’t seen in a very, very long time. He turned back to Madison, who’d already left her side of the car. A small grin emerged as his mind fixated on just one thing. “Dan?”

Madison opened his door with the fob, and he slowly got up and out. She studied him, wondering what he would think. He took a step forward, reminiscing. Madison clicked the fob to close his door. Without warning, he whisked her hand into his, towing her around to the back of the house. Alex stealthily led her to the edge of the back porch. He pressed his back against the wall, and held Madison back as well, ensuring anyone who looked that way wouldn’t see them. He moved his head around the corner, where he examined a large well-maintained yard with several Adirondack chairs, one with a bottle of beer on the armrest. It had only recently been abandoned, abundant with the tell-tale condensation of a fresh, cold drink on a warm day.

“What are you doing?” she asked quietly, growing concerned at his bizarre tactical movements. As Alex turned to explain, the unmistakable cocking of a single-action pistol cracked the air. It was at Alex’s head, prompting him to hold up his hands.

“I’ll tell you what he’s doing,” the booming voice announced. “He’s making himself at home.” He uncocked the gun and placed it on a nearby table, where two more ice-cold beers waited. “Welcome home, both of you.”

Madison clung tightly to Alex’s hand while walking over to give her dad a great big hug. “So, you two do know each other.” She released his hand to grab the opened beers, taking a well-deserved sip from one.

Dan gave Alex a once over. “Well, it’s been half a second, but I’d spot A.J. anywhere.” Dan slapped Alex’s open hand, shaking it. “How’ve you been, son?”

“Better.” He broke the handshake to remove his sunglasses from his face, hanging them from the V in his shirt, then looked him in the eyes. “A lot better since ...” Alex trailed off, suddenly concerned how Dan would feel about him and Madison, especially knowing the shape and size of every skeleton in Alex’s emotional closet. He hadn’t seen Dan in ten years, and there had to be doubts. But Dan didn’t leave him hanging.

“Good!” Dan patted his shoulder. “You being better is a very, very good thing.” His look was one of approval, so much so Alex re-engaged the shake. Dan took it and pulled him into a warm man-hug. Alex couldn’t help but reciprocate. “Thanks, Dan.”

“No need to thank me.”

“Well, at least for the beer, if I can pry it away from your girl there.”

Madison held it at arm’s length, teasing him with it while making her way to the chairs on the lawn. She indulged in kicking off her shoes and feeling the soft grass combing through her toes. She handed Alex the untouched bottle before plopping down in one of the chairs. She admired them both as they took their seats. “I still can’t figure out how I had no idea that you two knew each other.”

Dan and Alex exchange glances, debating who would answer. Dan jumped in. “Well, after the divorce, your mom took you away. You needed stability, and I was, well, really messed up after Jack.”

Madison grabbed his hand, with an apologetic look. “No, Frankie, your mom was right. Saying I had a tough time coping is like saying a tornado is a warm summer breeze. I needed to deal with my shit without dragging you down with me. I needed to be alone. Or, at least, I thought I did, until I met A.J. I didn’t think anyone could be more messed up than me.” He took a swig of the cold beer, giving Alex an opening, orchestrating a shift of the limelight.

Alex inhaled. “I returned to the States with just one thing on my mind. Returning the book and photo. I never felt right about having them, with Jack having a family and all.”

Dan glared, correcting him. “Hey, if you’re gonna tell this story, don’t gloss over the nitty-gritty details.” He turned to Madison. “The guy who showed up on my doorstep wasn’t exactly released from the hospital.” Madison darted her look to Alex, who smirked.

“Okay, okay. I left the hospital a little early, but I hated taking up a bed with all the injured vets around me. I felt like, I don’t know ... a fraud. I wasn’t active duty, and I was technically stable, so they couldn’t hold me. I caught the next plane back. All I knew was that I had to get the book and photo back to Jack’s family. By the time I got here, I guess I—”

“Collapsed.” Dan chided, pointing his beer at Alex. “Right in my arms as I opened the door. Like a baby.” Alex shook his head, knowing he’d fully exploit this tale to give him crap right in front of Madison. “I nursed him back to health, like Florence-fucking-Nightingale.” Dan was right back in Gunny mode, enjoying every minute of slinging shit at Alex, and knowing, in front of his little girl, he’d have to grin, eat it, and say “mmm, what a chef.” “Seriously, I wasn’t sure what to make of him. He had the book and the photo, and he, apparently, knew Jack. Well, that and he probably had one hell of a story.”

“Speaking of that,” Alex cut in, “when’s the last time you saw that photo?”

“Oh, I’m not sure. I mean, it should be in my office, why?”

Madison leaned in. “Dad, a man gave me that photo, and made up a pretty horrible story to go with it. We’re trying to figure out how he got it. Alex explained that you gave him Jack’s book, but that the photo should’ve been here.” While Madison talked, Alex pulled up Frank Seaver’s image on his cell phone, handing it over to Madison. Madison showed Dan. “This guy. Does he look familiar?”

“Oh, that guy.” Dan shrugged at Alex. “The way he was poking, I figured he was trying to get some dirt on you. He said you’d used this address in the past, but that was nearly a decade ago, so anyone looking that far back was definitely grasping at straws. I tried finding out what he was really after, but I guess while I was busy fishing, he netted me. A few questions in, he asked to use the bathroom, and I took a call. Then, he came out, thanked me, and left. Makes me wonder if anything else is missing.”

Dan rose, heading into the house, followed closely by Madison and Alex. Madison had come and gone whenever she could, but Alex hadn’t been back since he’d recovered, at least physically recovered. Entering the home, the sights and smells hit him. After such a stretch, being back instantly lured him into a swirl of both good and hard feelings. Alex needed a moment to take it all in, and paused just long enough for Madison to take notice. She slipped her arms through his, wrapping around him. “You okay?”

Alex calmed in her embrace. Somehow the warmth of her body and smell of her hair faded the mirage of the past. He kissed her. “Thanks, beautiful. I needed that.”

Dan returned in a huff, moving past them to the kitchen. “What is it, Dad?”

“Nothing, maybe,” he muttered. He opened a drawer, rummaging through it quietly, then closed it pensively. He returned to them. “He got the picture, but nothing else. Pisses me off that jackass got something off me.”

Madison hugged into Alex, then looked to him. “You might have something for Dad. In your wallet.” Alex knew that look. Even if he didn’t know exactly what Madison was up to, she was definitely up to something. Curious, he pulled out his wallet, and, secured in the fold was the photo of him and Jack. He re-committed it to memory before handing it to Dan. But Dan waved it back.

“You keep it. I’ve got another one.” He motioned with his head for them to check out the bookshelf. They both looked but didn’t see it. There was, however, a picture they both recognized, trimmed with a solid black frame. It was the same one on Alex’s baby grand piano. The picture of Madison and her dad smiling, holding up a photo. But because this one was much bigger, at least twice the size of the one in Alex’s place, the photo Madison and her dad were holding was clearer. So clear, in fact, that as they looked closer, they could see everything. What Madison and her dad were holding up all those years ago was the actual photo Alex held now, with one unbelievable exception. It was completely intact, with a uniformed Paco standing prominently next to Jack. His arm around Jack’s shoulder, and Jack’s arm around his waist. A beautiful snapshot frozen in time, magically recaptured to existence.

“Dad, how did you get this? How is this even possible?” Madison wasn’t even sure Alex knew the significance, or the importance of this discovery.

“Well, Jack called me from Italy. He wasn’t supposed to, but he said he wanted to send me something. Only ...”

Alex felt something in his tone. “Only what?” Alex knew their trip to Italy was just a few weeks before Jack was killed.

“Only, he said I wasn’t supposed to have it. I’m guessing you all weren’t supposed to have any evidence of your mission. In fact, he told me flat out, after I saw it, to print it, put the printout somewhere safe, and delete it. Well, instead, I printed it out, and I grabbed Madison before she ran out with her friends. We took a quick shot. A picture within a picture. I emailed it back to him. I knew he’d know what it was, but nobody else would. Hidden in plain sight. And I had that one.” He pointed to back to the bookshelf. “Just like the one I printed for you, Alex. Except for yours, I wanted it to be small enough that you could keep it in your wallet, since neither of us were exactly sure where you’d land after you left.”

Madison swooped over, grabbing the frame from the bookshelf. Her eyes gleamed, cherishing the exposed gem. The unbelievable gift hidden in plain sight. Alex caught a tear rolling down her cheek and brushed it with his thumb. “What is it?”

She looked up in disbelief, first at Alex, then at her dad.

“It’s us.” She uttered, but they just weren’t following. She started to explain. “It’s all of us. Our family.”

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