Page 49 of Evergreen Desires
It only took a few minutes before they were leading the three men out of the diner. Other agents collected their belongings and cell phones and put them into evidence bags. As the final agents left the diner, Mat and the sheriff walked in.
"Thank you for your cooperation," the sheriff said to the people who remained in the diner. "We apologize for the scare that this may have caused. We took precautions to ensure no one was in harm's way. If we can be of service to anyone here, please feel free to contact Chief Mateo here, or you can contact my office for additional service. Again, thank you for your cooperation during this arrest." With that, the sheriff turned and walked out of the diner. Once outside,he talked to the agent in charge before walking to his cruiser and following the SUVs out of the parking lot.
I looked across the table to Will, who was grinning ear to ear. I then looked at Jake, who still had a look of shock on his face. Instinctively, I dropped my hand to his thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze. It seemed to offer him a little comfort, as a smile began to appear at the corners of his mouth.
I turned to look around the small diner in the aftermath. Mat was talking to a table of old men toward the back. I could hear him making comments like "it's still an active investigation" and "I can't give you any additional facts". It was clear that the old men were giving him the third degree. Mat looked miserable through his smiles and nods.
"Guys, leave him alone; he's already said he can't tell you." Gwendine, unfazed, kept up her job, rounding the table of old men, refilling coffee. She turned on her heels and headed towards us, coffee pot in hand. "You guys okay?" Automatically, she refilled all our cups, whether they needed it or not.
"We're all good," Will chirped out through his still-grinning face, but Gwendine was already gone.
"Are you guys okay?" Mat walked up to the table. Will immediately reached for his hand. "That was an intense scene that took place here this morning. Is there anything I can do for you?" He sounded all official, turning his head slightly to peek at the old man's table.
"Are we safe?" Jake asked in a low voice.
Mat winked at him. "Very safe." He once again turned his head to look toward the other table to ensure they had gone back to their normal bickering and conversations. "Yes, the FBI has stepped in and is in the process of searching his office and residence, seizing documents and electronic devices. They’re also detaining a couple of other members of the city council. The two other guys were, as you might have already guessed, part of the 'competitor' that was in the process of moving in. Apparently, not so on the up and up once you got past the surface."
"Were they the people who hurt Jake?" Oops, that was a little more growl in my voice than expected.
Mat smiled again. "Calm down, it’s all good now. Yes, that gem you found at the greenhouse was the stone from a cufflink." He raised his wrist to demonstrate on his uniform button. "To put in a cufflink, most people use their thumb on the surface to push it through the hole." Again, he demonstrated as if he had cufflinks.
"So, it was Rich's print?" Jake's excitement was evident in the statement.
Mat peeked over his shoulder again. "Yes. It didn't take long after that came back to the county crime lab for things to start falling into place. I brought in the sheriff, who made sure to keep it out of the city council's sight. When evidence of deep-rooted corruption started to creep in, he called the FBI. Apparently, the FBI was already looking into Rich and was also separately investigating the two other gentlemen. It all came together pretty darn quickly, for law work at least."
Will kicked me under the table with one of his eyebrows cocked to the side. "Awesome news. Don't you think, Beau?"
"Yes. Yes, it is." It didn't come out convincingly. My mind was still swirling. "No, really, this is great news."
***
The drive home was uneventful. Will and Jake talked back and forth about what they had witnessed. Jake was clearly excited, talking about how we’d found the key evidence that had put it all in motion. I nodded from time to time when I heard my name or something in the conversation that seemed directed towards me. My head was swirling, more questions than anything else.
Were we really safe? Was Jake safe? Was Jake safe with me? Would this have still happened if Jake wasn't here? Yes, of course; he was just caught up in the threats. Why didn't Jake just run? Did he really love me like I loved him?
Before long, we had pulled up to the house, knocking me back into the present and out of my head; I’d clearly driving on autopilot.
"I am beat. All this excitement in addition to the French toast special has me needing a mid-morning nap," Jake announced as he opened his door and headed towards the house.
I reached for the car door handle when a weight fell on my left shoulder. This unexpected pressure caused me to react with both a growl and my hand reaching towards it.
"Whoa!" Will exclaimed, quickly moving his hand from my shoulder. "On edge much?" He gave me a side grin, clearly breaking the tension. "We're all going to be fine. It’s the end of this saga."
I just turned to look out the car window, watching Jake let himself into the house, my heart pounding in my ears. I looked back towards Will, my eyes still not focusing on him; I was really looking through him. My relief was for Jake. It wasn't for me, and if I was honest, it wasn't even for Will or the business. It was because I knew that Jake was not hurt and was not going to be hurt. At least for now.
"Stop it!" Will insisted, snapping me out of my own head. "I've known you too long. You've always approached things based on your cautious instinct. Stop overanalyzing this. That guy in there loves you and is not going anywhere. He helped find the bad guys and helped put them behind bars. He's willing to give up everything for you. You'll never convince me that you wouldn't do the same. I know you've never been into casual relationships, and of course, I'm hoping this thing with Mateo is truly real. But all those times I snuck off to Seattle or Everett for the weekend... I would have given anything to have a real relationship. Someone even remotely as into me as Jake is into you. As I said, I've known you a long time. I can honestly say I've NEVER seen you as happy and free as when you're with Jake. So, with all my love I have for you, DON'T BE STUPID HERE."
"How long have you been practicing that monologue?"
"Well, bits and pieces of it on and off for about a week or so." Will's trademark grin appeared across his face. "It just worked out that this surprise arrest happened today, so I ended up ad-libbing pieces of it."
"I know what you're saying is logical, but..."
"STOP!" Will's voice was forceful. "Beau, I love you like a brother. DON'T BE STUPID. Now go in and make sure things are right with Jake."
There was no talking to Will now; he'd said his piece. He looked awful sure of himself, too. I just nodded, reached for the door handle, and got out. I paused for a quick moment mid-exit. "Thank you."
"Anytime. Catch you later. I'll call first, just so I don't interrupt anything important," he said, waggling his eyebrows.
