Page 34 of Justice for Aleta

And now they’d wait.

* * *

Jack had only beenon the phone for a minute or two, but he could see Aleta pacing in the dining room by the big French doors. “Yeah, I think she’s getting stir crazy.”

“Just hang in there. If I hear anything, you’ll be the first to know.”

“I know. Thanks, Dax. It means a lot to me.”

“You’re welcome. If that were Mack, I’d wish somebody would help me out.”

“Then remember?I owe you,” Jack promised.

“Don’t worry. I keep up with my markers! But know this: If anyone shows up there, we’re hoping it’ll be one of my undercovers. He won’t hurt you, but he can’t keep anyone else from doing so, so be very, very careful.”

“I got it.”

“Later, Kentucky.”

The phone went silent and Jack laid it on the shiny countertop. “Sugar, you’re going to wear a hole in the floor.”

“I can’t help it. Can’t I just go outside? There’s nobody out there.”

“We don’t know that for sure.”

“Just out the back door? Please?” He could tell she was suffering, and he hated it.

What could it hurt?he wondered, then decided. “Let’s walk down to the barn. I need to check on my bike anyway.” His Harley had always been kept in the barn, covered in a tarp. From time to time he went out and started it.

“You have a bike?”

“Yeah. Come on. I’ll show you.” Grabbing the keys from the key board by the back door, Jack took Aleta’s hand, punched in the code for the alarm system, and stepped outside. The barn was only about two hundred yards away, and there were trees everywhere. It wasn’t like they were out in the wide open.

The barn door creaked as he opened it, and he stepped into the darkness. “Come on, babe.”

“There aren’t mice out here, are there?”

“Nah. We’ve got some old barn cats around here. They keep the rodents down.” Almost as if cued, a big yellow and white cat stepped out of the shadows and mewed. “See? She’s keeping watch.”

“Hey, kitty! You’re pretty, aren’t you?” Aleta tried to creep toward the cat, but as soon as she got within five feet of it, the animal spun and disappeared into the shadows again.

“They’re not really tame. Just here for the mousing.” He threw the tarp back from his bike. Yeah, it looked fine. Key in the ignition, he climbed aboard it, held the throttle in, and kicked it.

It started right up, and the engine loped loudly. “It’s pretty, but it’s really, really loud,” Aleta shouted over the din, her fingers in her ears.

“Yeah, it is,” Jack agreed.

“What?” she yelled back.

“I said yes! It’s pretty loud!” he shouted back.

“Uh-huh!”

He let it run for a bit, then shut it off and pocketed the key. Putting a tarp over a hot engine wouldn’t be smart, so he let it cool for a few minutes while he showed Aleta things in the barn that had belonged to family members. “This was my great-grandfather’s plow.” He pointed to the old contraption, its seat rusted and wheels bent. “It’s a wreck, but I can’t get rid of it.” Turning toward Aleta, he smiled. “I suppose we should go back inside now.”

“But this is fun! I mean, most people wouldn’t think so, but it seems that way to me.”

“Still, inside. We’ve been out as long as we can be.” Taking her hand, he headed back to the house, absentmindedly pulling his phone from his pocket. He hit the home button and his heart almost stopped.

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