The Storm
Your Love Is All I Need
“Good morning.” Lucy said turning from the stove to greet Gerard as he entered the kitchen.
“Good morning to you.” He smiled. “Have you already taken care of the girls?”
“Yep.” Lucy said turning back to the skillet. “I’ve been up for hours.”
Gerard frowned, “How come you didn’t wake me up?”
Lucy giggled, “Thought you needed your beauty sleep. I know you were up late.”
Now it was Gerard who frowned, “You do?” Once he’d believed she’d fallen asleep he’d taken the guitar and gone out onto the porch to sit on the glider and gently strum the instrument. He’d had no idea Lucy had obviously not been asleep.
She removed the streak from the skillet then quickly replaced it with two eggs. “I liked laying there listening to you play.” She said softly. “What was the song?”
He poured himself a cup of coffee before answering. “Not really a song. Just something I was working on.”
“You have such a good voice.” Lucy said glancing over to where he was leaning against the counter. “You should be a singer.”
His hands tightened on the coffee mug. “I thought you wanted me to be a writer” He tried to joke.
“I want you to be whatever makes you happy.” She said softly.
“What makes me happy is being with you.” The truth poured from his heart.
“Ditto, sir.” Lucy smiled, “Could you refill my mug? Breakfast is almost ready.”
“Sure.” He noticed his hands were slightly shaking as he poured the coffee. His inner voice was taunting him…she thinks you should be a singer. Trying to push that voice away he spoke, “Smells wonderful.”
“It’s gonna be good.” Lucy said as she carefully placed an egg on each plate then added a piece of toast. Next she distributed the steak adding more to his plate than her own. “Okay. Done.”
Gerard grabbed both plates then took them to the table. He noticed Rex was standing at the back door peering in. “Morning, Rex.” Gerard said making the dog’s tail immediately start to thump on the wooden floor.
“Rex smells the steak.” Lucy laughed as she pulled out her chair. “He’s pretty sure you’re gonna share with him.”
“Okay, if I let him in?”
Lucy nodded.
Immediately Rex planted himself on the floor next to Gerard who took a set at the table.
“Later would you play for me?” Luckily she didn’t look up from her plate to see the look on Gerard’s face.
“Uh, sure.” He muttered. “It’s really a beautiful instrument.” Knowing how much the guitar meant to Lucy had made accepting the gift almost too much.
“Rafe used to play it at night on the porch.” Lucy said softly. “He would never play it when I was around. He said that maybe one day he’d get good enough to play it for me.” Her voice trailed off in pain.
Gerard struggled for something to say.
“Anyway” Lucy was determined to push the sadness from her mind. “I’m glad you’re playing it. It is a beautiful instrument, too beautiful to be buried away in a closet.”
“Let’s go for a drive today.” Gerard suddenly blurted out. He wanted to get Lucy away from the house, from the memories.
Lucy gave him a surprised look, “Okay but I thought you wanted to work on your story?”
“We’ll do that later.” He said before taking a bite of his eggs.
“As you wish, sir.” Lucy giggled.
_________________________________________________
“Still no word from your brother?” The question was asked with definite anger.
Mikey mouthed to Alicia that the caller was Lindsey. “Uh, no.” He answered “But I’ve hired a private detective.”
Lindsey sighed, “He doesn’t want to be found.”
In his heart Mikey was afraid that was true. “Well, that don’t matter. We’re gonna find him.”
“And then what?” Lindsey asked the anger in her voice was back. “What are you gonna do? Make him come back to LA?”
“Is that where you’re at now?”
“Yeah, B and I have been back several days.” Lindsey answered, “I’ve been packing up my shit from the house.”
“Where are you staying?”
“With friends” The answer was deliberately vague. “The house will have to be sold so…”
“Lindsey are you sure about all of this?” Mikey asked but she cut him off quickly.
“Yeah, I’m sure. Never been more sure of anything in my life. My marriage has been over for a long time. I just wish he’d get his ass back to all of this could be easier.” Her voice suddenly dropped, filled with sadness, “B misses her daddy.”
Mikey closed his eyes a moment, “Yeah, I’m sure he misses her too.”
“Really?” Lindsey whispered tiredly, “That’s something I’m not sure about at all.”
______________________________________________________
Lucy was just finishing the breakfast dishes when Gerard reappeared in the kitchen, dressed for the day. “Hey, I told you I’d help with those.”
“Too slow, already done.” Lucy smiled, “So what’s our plan?”
Gerard shrugged, “I don’t know, just thought since it’s such a nice day a drive would be nice.”
“It is going to be a wonderful day.” Lucy smiled as she tried to convince herself of a fact she didn’t believe. Ever since waking early this morning a strange feeling of uneasiness had continued to plaque her. It wasn’t anything she could put her finger on, but something definitely seemed to be in the air. “Should we pack a lunch, have a picnic?”
Gerard too was trying to fight an uneasy feeling that had descended on his soul. “Yeah, that sounds like a great plan.”
Together they assembled sandwiches. Lucy grabbed a picnic basket and soon they were adding cans of soda, potato chips and cookies.
As they walked out to the truck Rex followed them barking happily.
“Hey, Boy.” Gerard said leaning down to pat the dog on the head. “We’re going on a picnic.” He stood then looked over at Lucy, “Want to take him with us?”
Her smile suddenly faded, “Rex doesn’t go anywhere in the truck.”
Something in the way she said that confused Gerard, “He doesn’t because you don’t want him to?”
Lucy sighed, “No, that’s not it. He won’t. The last time I tried about a year ago, I was just going to drive down to the bar to drop off some fresh eggs for Clyde. Rex climbed in the back of the truck but as soon as I pulled out on to the road he jumped out. Scared the shit out of me, I thought he’d hurt himself. I stopped, jumped out of the truck to see but before I could he was running back across the yard to the porch. If I go for a walk he’ll go with me.” Her voice trailed off and when she spoke again it slightly trembled, “But he won’t go anywhere in the truck.”
Again Gerard squatted down to pet the dog. “Hey, it’s okay, Rex” He said softly, “I get you love it here and don’t want to leave.”
Lucy smiled sadly, “Rex believes his job is to always protect the house.”
“And you’re good at that, aren’t you boy?” Rex gave him a sloppy dog kiss before Gerard stood. “Okay, well let’s hit the road.”
Lucy climbed in as Gerard settled the basket in the back of the truck.
“Where to?” He asked as he climbed behind the wheel.
Lucy shrugged, “Well I guess it depends on what you want to do.”
“I want to be with you.” Gerard said reaching across the seat to gently squeeze her arm.
Lucy smiled, “I could show you some of the barns I photographed; you seemed to be interested in them.”
“I’d love to see them.” He nodded as he started the engine. “Will there be someplace for us to picnic too?”
“Yep.” A plan was formulating in Lucy’s mind. “I know just the place.”
As they drove down the road Gerard had hoped the feeling of uneasiness filling his thoughts would lessen but unfortunately that didn’t happen.
_______________________________________________
“Oh holy shit.” Alicia blurted out. She quickly pushed back from the desk to grab her cell phone. The text to her husband was simple and to the point.
COME HOME NOW
Mikey’s heart began to race as he read the text. He threw down the phone on the seat beside him then quickly made a U-Turn. Had he not been so close to home he’d have called her to find out what was wrong but since he was only a few blocks away he decided to drive home trying not to break the speed limit but knowing in his heart something had happened, something he feared would be bad.
“Alicia?” Mikey called out as he rushed inside.
“In here.”
He found her at the desk staring at the computer screen.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
Alicia forced herself to look away from the computer. “I’m pretty sure I’ve found a recent picture of Gerard.”
Mikey rushed over to her. “What? Let me see.”
She pulled up the first photo the leaned back in the chair so he could study it more closely.
“Son of a bitch, that does look like him.” Mikey whispered. “But what the hell is he wearing? Those aren’t his clothes.”
“Well” Alicia said already having given it some thought. “I’m assuming since he lost his duffle bag he had to get other clothes.”
Mikey was still staring at the photo. “A cowboy hat?”
“There’s more.” She said hurriedly. “I was trolling some fan sites, just looking and I came across a link to this photo. I followed it back to the original poster. It’s a young girl in Kansas.” She waited a moment to let that information sink in.
“Where in Kansas?”
Feeling proud of her detective work Alicia explained, “The girl has a blog. I slogged through all of her entries and it seems this photo was taken over a month ago in a Wal-Mart. She said she spotted this guy who reminded her of Gerard. Then she wrote about how she’d spotted him again in the same Wal-Mart but her friend who was with her at the time told her there was no way it was Gerard.”
Mikey stood back, “So this photo was taken over a month ago?”
Alicia nodded, “Yeah, but this one was taken only a few days ago.” She pulled up the other photo.
Mikey blinked in shock, “Who the hell is that with him?”
Alicia too was staring at the photo. “I don’t know.”
He remembered his original question. “Where in Kansas?”
“Iola.” Alicia answered, “A town not far from the path of the storm.”
Again he was staring at the photo. “That’s Gee, no doubt about it.”
Alicia nodded, “Yeah, I wasn’t completely sure in the first photo but this one…I can tell for sure.”
Mikey pulled out his cell phone. “I’m calling Alan. We need to send these links to him.”
Alicia nodded absently while still staring at the photo. What she saw concerned her. Gerard was gently cupping the woman’s face. But what concerned her most was the love she saw in both of their eyes.
___________________________________________
Gerard carefully held the barbwire fence down so that Lucy could step over it. “Uh, are we trespassing?” He asked as he followed her over then into the field.
“Nope, I’ve talked to the owner and he said I’m welcome here any time. This farm originally belonged to his great-great grandfather. The owner now lives in Kansas City and as you can see the barn is slowly falling down.”
Gerard shaded his eyes with is hand to get a better look at the structure in question. “Man, that’s sad. It wasn’t this bad in your photos.”
Lucy sighed, “Yep it took a beating in the last storms.” She walked closer to the large wooden structure. “Part of the roof collapsed. I should have brought my camera. No telling how much longer it’s gonna stand.”
Gerard placed his hand on the weathered wood, “Wonder how old it is.”
“It was built in 1899.”
He glanced over at her, “The owner told you?”
She smiled, “Nope. Look”
His gaze followed to the spot on the stone foundation. Squatting down he saw the numbers 1899 were crudely etched into the rock. “Wow. Don’t think we should go inside.” Gerard said as he stood then dusted off his hands.
“Probably not.” Lucy sighed. “It’s sad another piece of history is about to be lost.”
“So no one farms this land?”
“This farm is used for cattle mostly.” She turned to stare off into the distance. “See?”
Again he followed her gaze this time spotting a heard of cattle in the distance. He hated to see she’d fallen into a melancholy mood. “Hey, we could come back tomorrow with your camera.”
That idea brought a smile back to her face. In her mind that meant tomorrow they would still be together. However, as that thought floated through her brain, she wondered why. He’d not said anything about leaving so why did she get the feeling that they would soon part?
“Earth to Lucy.”
She realized he’d spoken to her but she’s been so lost in thought she hadn’t heard. “Sorry. What?”
“Do you want to come back tomorrow?”
“Very much.” She linked her arm with his. “Come on I have one more barn to show you then I know the perfect spot for us to have our picnic.”
______________________________________________
“Alan said to congratulate you on your detective work.” Mikey smiled as he walked back into the study where Alicia was still pouring over the computer.
“So he thinks Gerard is still in that area?”
“He said that would be his guess.” He pulled over a chair to sit beside her behind the desk. “Found anything else?”
Alicia sighed, “The photo of Gerard and the woman has been reposted on several sites.”
“Shit.” Mikey whispered, “That ain’t good. I hope Lindsey doesn’t catch wind of it.”
This was something Alicia had already considered. “Much as I hate to say it I bet either she or her lawyer will. A photo like that will help her divorce case. Especially if Gerard has been with this woman for weeks.”
Mikey frowned, “We don’t know that’s true.”
Alicia pulled up the photo again. “Mikey, look at it closely.” She waited a moment while his eyes studied the photo. “Just look at how they are responding to each other, look at the intimacy. That’s definitely not someone Gerard just met, he knows her.” She paused, “Looks like he’s in love with her.”
Mikey frowned while shaking his head, “You can’t tell that from a photo.”
Alicia had to disagree, “Yeah, you can. I just wonder who she is. Think there is any possibility he knew her before he took off?”
“I’ve never seen her before.” Mikey said tearing his gaze away from the screen.
“Well assuming they met around the time he lost his bag, he’s known her for at least two months.”
“And you think he’s in love with her?”
“Looks that way.” Alicia sighed, “That might make forcing him to come back to LA harder.”
“He’s coming back.” Mikey said getting to his feet. “He has to.”
______________________________________________
“This is the perfect picnic spot.” Gerard said as he and Lucy spread out their blanket on the lake shore.
“Yep.” Lucy agreed, “And the perfect day.” She looked up into the blue, cloudless sky.
As Gerard sat down he sighed.
Lucy too took a seat but was frowning, “What’s wrong?”
“Wrong?”
She nodded, “Well you did just sigh.”
He forced himself to smile, she looked so beautiful, so innocent. “How could anything be wrong? I’m with the woman I love.”
Something in his eyes troubled her. “Maybe so but I think something is bothering you.” She paused a moment then asked, “Are you thinking about your home in LA?"
The question caught him off guard. “Why would you think that?”
“Because in the back of my mind I know you being here was just a fluke of fate. This isn’t your home, you have a real home out in California. Maybe you’re missing it.”
He saw the uncertainly in her eyes. “I do have a home out there but I don’t miss it, not really. I’m happy here.”
Again Lucy was struck by not only the look in his eyes but the tone of his voice. Gently she tried to discover the cause, “So do you live in an apartment or a house?"
Instead of answering right away he started pulling things out of the picnic basket to give himself time to think. However he knew Lucy was watching him, waiting. “Uh, I have a house in the hills outside LA.” He really hoped she wouldn’t question him on the location. How would she react if she knew he owned the home her grandmother had built?
“Is it nice?”
Immediately his mind went to his house, the house that had once held such hope for the future. Then his memory went to his last days there, the words on the bedroom wall he’d stained with liquor.
“Never mind.” Lucy said softly.
He looked up to see she was now looking out over the water. “Yeah, it’s nice.” He said forcing himself to answer a question she couldn’t possibly know had brought up so many emotions.
“I didn’t mean to pry.” She whispered.
Gerard realized he’d hurt her feelings. “Lucy, that wasn’t prying. It’s just some shit went down there before I left.”
Lucy looked over at him. “Bad shit?”
God, if only she knew the truth. “Yeah, bad shit. Shit that I know I’ll have to eventually deal with but I’m not ready.”
“Are you in some kind of trouble?” she asked turning back to stare at the lake believing it might be easier for him to answer if she wasn’t looking into his eyes.
For a moment Gerard was stunned by her question but once he considered the question he thought he understood. “No, Honey. I’m not in trouble with the law.”
Lucy spoke without turning, “That’s not exactly what I meant. I never even considered the fact you could be running from the law.” She smiled slightly, “You don’t look like a fugitive.”
Gerard tried to laugh but it sounded hollow. “So you don’t think you’ll see my photo on a wanted poster?”
Finally she turned to him, “No, of course not. Look, I understand if you don’t want to tell me what happened to make you run. It’s just sometimes…well I worry. I know you have a brother and I think that he might really be concerned about you.”
This conversation was going down a path he didn’t want to take. “I told you before, Mikey’s married, he’s got his own life.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s not worried.” Lucy said softly. “I’m sure your brother loves you.”
Of course she was right and Gerard knew that. By now Mikey would probably be freaking out and yet…. “Soon I’ll contact him.” Gerard said slowly. “Let him know I’m okay.”
Lucy nervously clasped her hands in her lap. “And let him know when you’ll return to LA?”
“Why do you keep bringing that up?” Gerard asked suddenly overwhelmed with so many emotions one of which was anger. “Do you want me to go?”
Lucy blinked in surprise, “No, of course not.”
“Then why keep taking about me leaving?”
She glanced down at her hands, “Because I can’t help it.” She whispered, “It’s like knowing something bad is going to happen but not knowing when.”
Suddenly his anger receded as he looked at her. At this moment she looked so fragile. “Lucy, whatever happens in the end we’ll be together. We’ll make it work somehow.”
She sighed, “The fact remains you’re an LA boy stranded in Kansas.”
“And you’re an LA girl who ended up in Kansas.” He said trying carefully not to upset her. “I know this is your home now but maybe…”
Lucy spoke quickly, “I’ve never, ever, considered leaving here.”
He reached out of her hand, “I know that. But things change, maybe one day you’ll be ready to leave.”
“Leave the memories, you mean.”
Her face was emotionless just like her voice. Gerard knew he had to tread carefully. “Not really leave them, Lucy. I know you have a lot of good memories from here, those will always be in your heart. You don’t have to live in your house to keep those memories close.”
Lucy was silent for several minutes before she whispered, “I just don’t know.”
Gerard squeezed her hand, “Hey, this isn’t something you need to think about right now. Let’s not let anything ruin our perfect day”
When she looked up there was a smile on her face, “You’re right. I don’t want anything to ruin today. Let’s eat our lunch then we can walk down to the water’s edge. Maybe get our feet wet.”
Gerard laughed, “Sounds good but I really like our creek much better.”
“Really?”
He grinned, “Well sure. There I can get you in the water.” His voice lowered, “There I can caress your nude body, hold you close without having to worry about anyone seeing us.”
Lucy’s eyes grew wide, heat rose to her cheeks, “When you put it that way our creek is much, much, better.”
God, he wanted her so badly. Before she could object he pulled her over onto his lap.
“Gerard” She giggled, “What are you doing?”
“I’m gonna kiss you senseless.” He said brushing his lips against hers. “Then we’re gonna eat lunch.”
"I’d much rather keep kissing than eat.” Lucy whispered wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Tempting.” His tongue darted out to run a path across her bottom lip. “But if we do I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to stop with just kissing your lips. I’d want to kiss every last inch of your body.”
Those words made her body respond. “I really like the sound of that.” She twirled her fingers in his hair to keep his head in place. “Let’s eat quickly.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “As you wish.” He was surprised when she suddenly tightened her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.Her lips pressed against his neck.
“Woman, you’re killing me.” He ground out as her butt pressed against his growing need.
Lucy giggled, “Sorry, but I needed a hug.”
“When we get home I’ll give you lots of hugs.” His fingers caressed her back, “And lots more.” Then before he could stop himself he added, “I’ll give you everything I am, Lucy.”
She leaned back slightly to look into his eyes, “Your love is all I need, it’s all I want.” Her voice shook slightly.
Gerard spoke from his heart, “That you already have.”
____________________________________________
“What are you looking at?” Christa asked as she walked into the living room. She’d just arrived home and was surprised to see her husband didn’t even bother to glace up from the laptop to acknowledge her arrival.
Ray spoke still studying the screen, “Mikey sent me a link. It’s a recent photo of Gerard.”
Christa threw down her purse then walked over to the sofa. “Are you serious?”
“Yep, it’s definitely Gee.”
“So they found him?” Christa asked as she too studied the photo. Before Ray could answer she said, “He’s in a Wal-Mart, right?”
Ray smiled slightly, “Yes, good catch, I didn’t even notice the store branding at first. And to answer your first question, no they haven’t found him yet but it’s just a matter of time.”
“When was the photo taken?”
“This one was over a month ago but this one…” He pulled up the other photo, “Was taken less than a week ago.”
“Oh my” Christa said gazing at the photo of Gerard and Lucy, “Wonder who she is?”
“Yeah, that’s what we’re all wondering. Mikey’s afraid this pic will get back to Lindsey.”
“Because of the divorce.” Christa said sadly, “First he ran off then is seen with that woman.”
“Don’t forget he fucked the nanny.” Ray said darkly.
“Ray” Christa sighed, “Don’t be crude.”
“Hey, just being honest. He did fuck the nanny and from this photo it looks like he may be fucking that woman too. Pretty sure Lindsey’s divorce lawyer will have a heyday with that info.”
Christa leaned forward to look closer at the photo, “I don’t know” She said softly, “If I didn’t know the circumstances and saw this photo I’d say those two people are in love.”
Ray rolled his eyes, “Stop being such a romantic. You’re talking about a married guy and some woman he probably just met.”
“So where was this photo taken?”
He laughed, “Uh, in a Wal-Mart, you already figured that out.”
Christa swatted his arm playfully, “Yeah, I know that. I mean where is the store?”
“Iola, Kansas.” He said repeating the information Mikey had given him.
“So he didn’t leave Kansas when he lost his duffle bag.”
“It would appear that way.” He sat back, “I just wish I understood what the hell he’s thinking. He’s got to know what’s going on back here.”
Christa took a seat next to him, “Maybe, maybe not. He didn’t take his phone or laptop. He’s not been in contact with anyone as far as we know.”
Ray frowned, “You know how Gee trolls the Net. He’s gotta know.”
“Not if he’s chosen to deliberately not know. If he wanted to get away from everything would he try to keep up with what’s going on?”
“Well then he’s gonna be in for a big surprise when Mikey gets a hold of him. Now that he knows Gee is okay, he’s pissed. I mean really pissed.”
“So when they locate Gerard Mikey is planning on going there?”
“He says that’s his plan.”
Christa was studying the photo once more. “Wonder if he’s staying with that woman?”
“Well if you look close they have a basket of groceries. It would be my guess he’s staying with her.”
“She’s pretty.” Christa said softly.
Ray frowned, “Yeah, well maybe but the fact remains she’s with a married guy. I’d think that would bother you.”
“True.” She nodded, “But we don’t know the circumstances. Look at Gerard in the photo, he looks good, healthy. Much better than he’s looked in a long time.”
“So you think maybe she’s helping him?”
“Could be.” Christa said softly. “You have to admit this is better than some of the scenarios that could have played out. Just think how damaging it would have been to have a photo of a drunk Gerard show up on the Net.”
“I did mention the same thing to Mikey. That would definitely been worse.”
Christa stood, “I’m going to give Alicia a call.”
Ray watched as she pulled out her cell phone. “Why?”
“I want to get her take on that photo.” Christa explained as she scrolled down looking for the correct number.
“I don’t understand.” Ray frowned.
Christa just smiled at him. “I’m guessing like me she’s going to see something in the photo you guys don’t.”
Ray was still confused as his wife walked out of the room, phone in hand.
_______________________________________________
“This has been such a nice day.”
Gerard glanced over at her, “Yeah, it has. So, when we get home wanna go down to our creek?”
Lucy giggled, “That does sound nice.”
She was about to say more when Gerard cursed.
“Son of a bitch.” He yelled as he swerved the truck to avoid a fast moving car. “What the hell?”
Dust from the gravel road leading to the farm temporarily blinded their sight. Lucy turned to look back at the vehicle now almost out of sight. “Don’t recognize the car.”
“I think maybe I saw it back out of your driveway.” Gerard said slowing the truck down to make the turn. It was then he saw something that made his heart sink.
By this time Lucy had turned back around in her seat. “Oh, God.”
Quickly Gerard pulled in the driveway then turned off the truck. Lucy already had her door open running ahead. By the time he reached her she was on the ground next to the broken body of Rex.
“They ran over him.” She sobbed. “Oh, God, they ran over him.”
“Good morning to you.” He smiled. “Have you already taken care of the girls?”
“Yep.” Lucy said turning back to the skillet. “I’ve been up for hours.”
Gerard frowned, “How come you didn’t wake me up?”
Lucy giggled, “Thought you needed your beauty sleep. I know you were up late.”
Now it was Gerard who frowned, “You do?” Once he’d believed she’d fallen asleep he’d taken the guitar and gone out onto the porch to sit on the glider and gently strum the instrument. He’d had no idea Lucy had obviously not been asleep.
She removed the streak from the skillet then quickly replaced it with two eggs. “I liked laying there listening to you play.” She said softly. “What was the song?”
He poured himself a cup of coffee before answering. “Not really a song. Just something I was working on.”
“You have such a good voice.” Lucy said glancing over to where he was leaning against the counter. “You should be a singer.”
His hands tightened on the coffee mug. “I thought you wanted me to be a writer” He tried to joke.
“I want you to be whatever makes you happy.” She said softly.
“What makes me happy is being with you.” The truth poured from his heart.
“Ditto, sir.” Lucy smiled, “Could you refill my mug? Breakfast is almost ready.”
“Sure.” He noticed his hands were slightly shaking as he poured the coffee. His inner voice was taunting him…she thinks you should be a singer. Trying to push that voice away he spoke, “Smells wonderful.”
“It’s gonna be good.” Lucy said as she carefully placed an egg on each plate then added a piece of toast. Next she distributed the steak adding more to his plate than her own. “Okay. Done.”
Gerard grabbed both plates then took them to the table. He noticed Rex was standing at the back door peering in. “Morning, Rex.” Gerard said making the dog’s tail immediately start to thump on the wooden floor.
“Rex smells the steak.” Lucy laughed as she pulled out her chair. “He’s pretty sure you’re gonna share with him.”
“Okay, if I let him in?”
Lucy nodded.
Immediately Rex planted himself on the floor next to Gerard who took a set at the table.
“Later would you play for me?” Luckily she didn’t look up from her plate to see the look on Gerard’s face.
“Uh, sure.” He muttered. “It’s really a beautiful instrument.” Knowing how much the guitar meant to Lucy had made accepting the gift almost too much.
“Rafe used to play it at night on the porch.” Lucy said softly. “He would never play it when I was around. He said that maybe one day he’d get good enough to play it for me.” Her voice trailed off in pain.
Gerard struggled for something to say.
“Anyway” Lucy was determined to push the sadness from her mind. “I’m glad you’re playing it. It is a beautiful instrument, too beautiful to be buried away in a closet.”
“Let’s go for a drive today.” Gerard suddenly blurted out. He wanted to get Lucy away from the house, from the memories.
Lucy gave him a surprised look, “Okay but I thought you wanted to work on your story?”
“We’ll do that later.” He said before taking a bite of his eggs.
“As you wish, sir.” Lucy giggled.
_________________________________________________
“Still no word from your brother?” The question was asked with definite anger.
Mikey mouthed to Alicia that the caller was Lindsey. “Uh, no.” He answered “But I’ve hired a private detective.”
Lindsey sighed, “He doesn’t want to be found.”
In his heart Mikey was afraid that was true. “Well, that don’t matter. We’re gonna find him.”
“And then what?” Lindsey asked the anger in her voice was back. “What are you gonna do? Make him come back to LA?”
“Is that where you’re at now?”
“Yeah, B and I have been back several days.” Lindsey answered, “I’ve been packing up my shit from the house.”
“Where are you staying?”
“With friends” The answer was deliberately vague. “The house will have to be sold so…”
“Lindsey are you sure about all of this?” Mikey asked but she cut him off quickly.
“Yeah, I’m sure. Never been more sure of anything in my life. My marriage has been over for a long time. I just wish he’d get his ass back to all of this could be easier.” Her voice suddenly dropped, filled with sadness, “B misses her daddy.”
Mikey closed his eyes a moment, “Yeah, I’m sure he misses her too.”
“Really?” Lindsey whispered tiredly, “That’s something I’m not sure about at all.”
______________________________________________________
Lucy was just finishing the breakfast dishes when Gerard reappeared in the kitchen, dressed for the day. “Hey, I told you I’d help with those.”
“Too slow, already done.” Lucy smiled, “So what’s our plan?”
Gerard shrugged, “I don’t know, just thought since it’s such a nice day a drive would be nice.”
“It is going to be a wonderful day.” Lucy smiled as she tried to convince herself of a fact she didn’t believe. Ever since waking early this morning a strange feeling of uneasiness had continued to plaque her. It wasn’t anything she could put her finger on, but something definitely seemed to be in the air. “Should we pack a lunch, have a picnic?”
Gerard too was trying to fight an uneasy feeling that had descended on his soul. “Yeah, that sounds like a great plan.”
Together they assembled sandwiches. Lucy grabbed a picnic basket and soon they were adding cans of soda, potato chips and cookies.
As they walked out to the truck Rex followed them barking happily.
“Hey, Boy.” Gerard said leaning down to pat the dog on the head. “We’re going on a picnic.” He stood then looked over at Lucy, “Want to take him with us?”
Her smile suddenly faded, “Rex doesn’t go anywhere in the truck.”
Something in the way she said that confused Gerard, “He doesn’t because you don’t want him to?”
Lucy sighed, “No, that’s not it. He won’t. The last time I tried about a year ago, I was just going to drive down to the bar to drop off some fresh eggs for Clyde. Rex climbed in the back of the truck but as soon as I pulled out on to the road he jumped out. Scared the shit out of me, I thought he’d hurt himself. I stopped, jumped out of the truck to see but before I could he was running back across the yard to the porch. If I go for a walk he’ll go with me.” Her voice trailed off and when she spoke again it slightly trembled, “But he won’t go anywhere in the truck.”
Again Gerard squatted down to pet the dog. “Hey, it’s okay, Rex” He said softly, “I get you love it here and don’t want to leave.”
Lucy smiled sadly, “Rex believes his job is to always protect the house.”
“And you’re good at that, aren’t you boy?” Rex gave him a sloppy dog kiss before Gerard stood. “Okay, well let’s hit the road.”
Lucy climbed in as Gerard settled the basket in the back of the truck.
“Where to?” He asked as he climbed behind the wheel.
Lucy shrugged, “Well I guess it depends on what you want to do.”
“I want to be with you.” Gerard said reaching across the seat to gently squeeze her arm.
Lucy smiled, “I could show you some of the barns I photographed; you seemed to be interested in them.”
“I’d love to see them.” He nodded as he started the engine. “Will there be someplace for us to picnic too?”
“Yep.” A plan was formulating in Lucy’s mind. “I know just the place.”
As they drove down the road Gerard had hoped the feeling of uneasiness filling his thoughts would lessen but unfortunately that didn’t happen.
_______________________________________________
“Oh holy shit.” Alicia blurted out. She quickly pushed back from the desk to grab her cell phone. The text to her husband was simple and to the point.
COME HOME NOW
Mikey’s heart began to race as he read the text. He threw down the phone on the seat beside him then quickly made a U-Turn. Had he not been so close to home he’d have called her to find out what was wrong but since he was only a few blocks away he decided to drive home trying not to break the speed limit but knowing in his heart something had happened, something he feared would be bad.
“Alicia?” Mikey called out as he rushed inside.
“In here.”
He found her at the desk staring at the computer screen.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
Alicia forced herself to look away from the computer. “I’m pretty sure I’ve found a recent picture of Gerard.”
Mikey rushed over to her. “What? Let me see.”
She pulled up the first photo the leaned back in the chair so he could study it more closely.
“Son of a bitch, that does look like him.” Mikey whispered. “But what the hell is he wearing? Those aren’t his clothes.”
“Well” Alicia said already having given it some thought. “I’m assuming since he lost his duffle bag he had to get other clothes.”
Mikey was still staring at the photo. “A cowboy hat?”
“There’s more.” She said hurriedly. “I was trolling some fan sites, just looking and I came across a link to this photo. I followed it back to the original poster. It’s a young girl in Kansas.” She waited a moment to let that information sink in.
“Where in Kansas?”
Feeling proud of her detective work Alicia explained, “The girl has a blog. I slogged through all of her entries and it seems this photo was taken over a month ago in a Wal-Mart. She said she spotted this guy who reminded her of Gerard. Then she wrote about how she’d spotted him again in the same Wal-Mart but her friend who was with her at the time told her there was no way it was Gerard.”
Mikey stood back, “So this photo was taken over a month ago?”
Alicia nodded, “Yeah, but this one was taken only a few days ago.” She pulled up the other photo.
Mikey blinked in shock, “Who the hell is that with him?”
Alicia too was staring at the photo. “I don’t know.”
He remembered his original question. “Where in Kansas?”
“Iola.” Alicia answered, “A town not far from the path of the storm.”
Again he was staring at the photo. “That’s Gee, no doubt about it.”
Alicia nodded, “Yeah, I wasn’t completely sure in the first photo but this one…I can tell for sure.”
Mikey pulled out his cell phone. “I’m calling Alan. We need to send these links to him.”
Alicia nodded absently while still staring at the photo. What she saw concerned her. Gerard was gently cupping the woman’s face. But what concerned her most was the love she saw in both of their eyes.
___________________________________________
Gerard carefully held the barbwire fence down so that Lucy could step over it. “Uh, are we trespassing?” He asked as he followed her over then into the field.
“Nope, I’ve talked to the owner and he said I’m welcome here any time. This farm originally belonged to his great-great grandfather. The owner now lives in Kansas City and as you can see the barn is slowly falling down.”
Gerard shaded his eyes with is hand to get a better look at the structure in question. “Man, that’s sad. It wasn’t this bad in your photos.”
Lucy sighed, “Yep it took a beating in the last storms.” She walked closer to the large wooden structure. “Part of the roof collapsed. I should have brought my camera. No telling how much longer it’s gonna stand.”
Gerard placed his hand on the weathered wood, “Wonder how old it is.”
“It was built in 1899.”
He glanced over at her, “The owner told you?”
She smiled, “Nope. Look”
His gaze followed to the spot on the stone foundation. Squatting down he saw the numbers 1899 were crudely etched into the rock. “Wow. Don’t think we should go inside.” Gerard said as he stood then dusted off his hands.
“Probably not.” Lucy sighed. “It’s sad another piece of history is about to be lost.”
“So no one farms this land?”
“This farm is used for cattle mostly.” She turned to stare off into the distance. “See?”
Again he followed her gaze this time spotting a heard of cattle in the distance. He hated to see she’d fallen into a melancholy mood. “Hey, we could come back tomorrow with your camera.”
That idea brought a smile back to her face. In her mind that meant tomorrow they would still be together. However, as that thought floated through her brain, she wondered why. He’d not said anything about leaving so why did she get the feeling that they would soon part?
“Earth to Lucy.”
She realized he’d spoken to her but she’s been so lost in thought she hadn’t heard. “Sorry. What?”
“Do you want to come back tomorrow?”
“Very much.” She linked her arm with his. “Come on I have one more barn to show you then I know the perfect spot for us to have our picnic.”
______________________________________________
“Alan said to congratulate you on your detective work.” Mikey smiled as he walked back into the study where Alicia was still pouring over the computer.
“So he thinks Gerard is still in that area?”
“He said that would be his guess.” He pulled over a chair to sit beside her behind the desk. “Found anything else?”
Alicia sighed, “The photo of Gerard and the woman has been reposted on several sites.”
“Shit.” Mikey whispered, “That ain’t good. I hope Lindsey doesn’t catch wind of it.”
This was something Alicia had already considered. “Much as I hate to say it I bet either she or her lawyer will. A photo like that will help her divorce case. Especially if Gerard has been with this woman for weeks.”
Mikey frowned, “We don’t know that’s true.”
Alicia pulled up the photo again. “Mikey, look at it closely.” She waited a moment while his eyes studied the photo. “Just look at how they are responding to each other, look at the intimacy. That’s definitely not someone Gerard just met, he knows her.” She paused, “Looks like he’s in love with her.”
Mikey frowned while shaking his head, “You can’t tell that from a photo.”
Alicia had to disagree, “Yeah, you can. I just wonder who she is. Think there is any possibility he knew her before he took off?”
“I’ve never seen her before.” Mikey said tearing his gaze away from the screen.
“Well assuming they met around the time he lost his bag, he’s known her for at least two months.”
“And you think he’s in love with her?”
“Looks that way.” Alicia sighed, “That might make forcing him to come back to LA harder.”
“He’s coming back.” Mikey said getting to his feet. “He has to.”
______________________________________________
“This is the perfect picnic spot.” Gerard said as he and Lucy spread out their blanket on the lake shore.
“Yep.” Lucy agreed, “And the perfect day.” She looked up into the blue, cloudless sky.
As Gerard sat down he sighed.
Lucy too took a seat but was frowning, “What’s wrong?”
“Wrong?”
She nodded, “Well you did just sigh.”
He forced himself to smile, she looked so beautiful, so innocent. “How could anything be wrong? I’m with the woman I love.”
Something in his eyes troubled her. “Maybe so but I think something is bothering you.” She paused a moment then asked, “Are you thinking about your home in LA?"
The question caught him off guard. “Why would you think that?”
“Because in the back of my mind I know you being here was just a fluke of fate. This isn’t your home, you have a real home out in California. Maybe you’re missing it.”
He saw the uncertainly in her eyes. “I do have a home out there but I don’t miss it, not really. I’m happy here.”
Again Lucy was struck by not only the look in his eyes but the tone of his voice. Gently she tried to discover the cause, “So do you live in an apartment or a house?"
Instead of answering right away he started pulling things out of the picnic basket to give himself time to think. However he knew Lucy was watching him, waiting. “Uh, I have a house in the hills outside LA.” He really hoped she wouldn’t question him on the location. How would she react if she knew he owned the home her grandmother had built?
“Is it nice?”
Immediately his mind went to his house, the house that had once held such hope for the future. Then his memory went to his last days there, the words on the bedroom wall he’d stained with liquor.
“Never mind.” Lucy said softly.
He looked up to see she was now looking out over the water. “Yeah, it’s nice.” He said forcing himself to answer a question she couldn’t possibly know had brought up so many emotions.
“I didn’t mean to pry.” She whispered.
Gerard realized he’d hurt her feelings. “Lucy, that wasn’t prying. It’s just some shit went down there before I left.”
Lucy looked over at him. “Bad shit?”
God, if only she knew the truth. “Yeah, bad shit. Shit that I know I’ll have to eventually deal with but I’m not ready.”
“Are you in some kind of trouble?” she asked turning back to stare at the lake believing it might be easier for him to answer if she wasn’t looking into his eyes.
For a moment Gerard was stunned by her question but once he considered the question he thought he understood. “No, Honey. I’m not in trouble with the law.”
Lucy spoke without turning, “That’s not exactly what I meant. I never even considered the fact you could be running from the law.” She smiled slightly, “You don’t look like a fugitive.”
Gerard tried to laugh but it sounded hollow. “So you don’t think you’ll see my photo on a wanted poster?”
Finally she turned to him, “No, of course not. Look, I understand if you don’t want to tell me what happened to make you run. It’s just sometimes…well I worry. I know you have a brother and I think that he might really be concerned about you.”
This conversation was going down a path he didn’t want to take. “I told you before, Mikey’s married, he’s got his own life.”
“That doesn’t mean he’s not worried.” Lucy said softly. “I’m sure your brother loves you.”
Of course she was right and Gerard knew that. By now Mikey would probably be freaking out and yet…. “Soon I’ll contact him.” Gerard said slowly. “Let him know I’m okay.”
Lucy nervously clasped her hands in her lap. “And let him know when you’ll return to LA?”
“Why do you keep bringing that up?” Gerard asked suddenly overwhelmed with so many emotions one of which was anger. “Do you want me to go?”
Lucy blinked in surprise, “No, of course not.”
“Then why keep taking about me leaving?”
She glanced down at her hands, “Because I can’t help it.” She whispered, “It’s like knowing something bad is going to happen but not knowing when.”
Suddenly his anger receded as he looked at her. At this moment she looked so fragile. “Lucy, whatever happens in the end we’ll be together. We’ll make it work somehow.”
She sighed, “The fact remains you’re an LA boy stranded in Kansas.”
“And you’re an LA girl who ended up in Kansas.” He said trying carefully not to upset her. “I know this is your home now but maybe…”
Lucy spoke quickly, “I’ve never, ever, considered leaving here.”
He reached out of her hand, “I know that. But things change, maybe one day you’ll be ready to leave.”
“Leave the memories, you mean.”
Her face was emotionless just like her voice. Gerard knew he had to tread carefully. “Not really leave them, Lucy. I know you have a lot of good memories from here, those will always be in your heart. You don’t have to live in your house to keep those memories close.”
Lucy was silent for several minutes before she whispered, “I just don’t know.”
Gerard squeezed her hand, “Hey, this isn’t something you need to think about right now. Let’s not let anything ruin our perfect day”
When she looked up there was a smile on her face, “You’re right. I don’t want anything to ruin today. Let’s eat our lunch then we can walk down to the water’s edge. Maybe get our feet wet.”
Gerard laughed, “Sounds good but I really like our creek much better.”
“Really?”
He grinned, “Well sure. There I can get you in the water.” His voice lowered, “There I can caress your nude body, hold you close without having to worry about anyone seeing us.”
Lucy’s eyes grew wide, heat rose to her cheeks, “When you put it that way our creek is much, much, better.”
God, he wanted her so badly. Before she could object he pulled her over onto his lap.
“Gerard” She giggled, “What are you doing?”
“I’m gonna kiss you senseless.” He said brushing his lips against hers. “Then we’re gonna eat lunch.”
"I’d much rather keep kissing than eat.” Lucy whispered wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Tempting.” His tongue darted out to run a path across her bottom lip. “But if we do I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to stop with just kissing your lips. I’d want to kiss every last inch of your body.”
Those words made her body respond. “I really like the sound of that.” She twirled her fingers in his hair to keep his head in place. “Let’s eat quickly.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “As you wish.” He was surprised when she suddenly tightened her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.Her lips pressed against his neck.
“Woman, you’re killing me.” He ground out as her butt pressed against his growing need.
Lucy giggled, “Sorry, but I needed a hug.”
“When we get home I’ll give you lots of hugs.” His fingers caressed her back, “And lots more.” Then before he could stop himself he added, “I’ll give you everything I am, Lucy.”
She leaned back slightly to look into his eyes, “Your love is all I need, it’s all I want.” Her voice shook slightly.
Gerard spoke from his heart, “That you already have.”
____________________________________________
“What are you looking at?” Christa asked as she walked into the living room. She’d just arrived home and was surprised to see her husband didn’t even bother to glace up from the laptop to acknowledge her arrival.
Ray spoke still studying the screen, “Mikey sent me a link. It’s a recent photo of Gerard.”
Christa threw down her purse then walked over to the sofa. “Are you serious?”
“Yep, it’s definitely Gee.”
“So they found him?” Christa asked as she too studied the photo. Before Ray could answer she said, “He’s in a Wal-Mart, right?”
Ray smiled slightly, “Yes, good catch, I didn’t even notice the store branding at first. And to answer your first question, no they haven’t found him yet but it’s just a matter of time.”
“When was the photo taken?”
“This one was over a month ago but this one…” He pulled up the other photo, “Was taken less than a week ago.”
“Oh my” Christa said gazing at the photo of Gerard and Lucy, “Wonder who she is?”
“Yeah, that’s what we’re all wondering. Mikey’s afraid this pic will get back to Lindsey.”
“Because of the divorce.” Christa said sadly, “First he ran off then is seen with that woman.”
“Don’t forget he fucked the nanny.” Ray said darkly.
“Ray” Christa sighed, “Don’t be crude.”
“Hey, just being honest. He did fuck the nanny and from this photo it looks like he may be fucking that woman too. Pretty sure Lindsey’s divorce lawyer will have a heyday with that info.”
Christa leaned forward to look closer at the photo, “I don’t know” She said softly, “If I didn’t know the circumstances and saw this photo I’d say those two people are in love.”
Ray rolled his eyes, “Stop being such a romantic. You’re talking about a married guy and some woman he probably just met.”
“So where was this photo taken?”
He laughed, “Uh, in a Wal-Mart, you already figured that out.”
Christa swatted his arm playfully, “Yeah, I know that. I mean where is the store?”
“Iola, Kansas.” He said repeating the information Mikey had given him.
“So he didn’t leave Kansas when he lost his duffle bag.”
“It would appear that way.” He sat back, “I just wish I understood what the hell he’s thinking. He’s got to know what’s going on back here.”
Christa took a seat next to him, “Maybe, maybe not. He didn’t take his phone or laptop. He’s not been in contact with anyone as far as we know.”
Ray frowned, “You know how Gee trolls the Net. He’s gotta know.”
“Not if he’s chosen to deliberately not know. If he wanted to get away from everything would he try to keep up with what’s going on?”
“Well then he’s gonna be in for a big surprise when Mikey gets a hold of him. Now that he knows Gee is okay, he’s pissed. I mean really pissed.”
“So when they locate Gerard Mikey is planning on going there?”
“He says that’s his plan.”
Christa was studying the photo once more. “Wonder if he’s staying with that woman?”
“Well if you look close they have a basket of groceries. It would be my guess he’s staying with her.”
“She’s pretty.” Christa said softly.
Ray frowned, “Yeah, well maybe but the fact remains she’s with a married guy. I’d think that would bother you.”
“True.” She nodded, “But we don’t know the circumstances. Look at Gerard in the photo, he looks good, healthy. Much better than he’s looked in a long time.”
“So you think maybe she’s helping him?”
“Could be.” Christa said softly. “You have to admit this is better than some of the scenarios that could have played out. Just think how damaging it would have been to have a photo of a drunk Gerard show up on the Net.”
“I did mention the same thing to Mikey. That would definitely been worse.”
Christa stood, “I’m going to give Alicia a call.”
Ray watched as she pulled out her cell phone. “Why?”
“I want to get her take on that photo.” Christa explained as she scrolled down looking for the correct number.
“I don’t understand.” Ray frowned.
Christa just smiled at him. “I’m guessing like me she’s going to see something in the photo you guys don’t.”
Ray was still confused as his wife walked out of the room, phone in hand.
_______________________________________________
“This has been such a nice day.”
Gerard glanced over at her, “Yeah, it has. So, when we get home wanna go down to our creek?”
Lucy giggled, “That does sound nice.”
She was about to say more when Gerard cursed.
“Son of a bitch.” He yelled as he swerved the truck to avoid a fast moving car. “What the hell?”
Dust from the gravel road leading to the farm temporarily blinded their sight. Lucy turned to look back at the vehicle now almost out of sight. “Don’t recognize the car.”
“I think maybe I saw it back out of your driveway.” Gerard said slowing the truck down to make the turn. It was then he saw something that made his heart sink.
By this time Lucy had turned back around in her seat. “Oh, God.”
Quickly Gerard pulled in the driveway then turned off the truck. Lucy already had her door open running ahead. By the time he reached her she was on the ground next to the broken body of Rex.
“They ran over him.” She sobbed. “Oh, God, they ran over him.”
I absolutely loved this story! You are a very gifted writer & I
hope to find & read your other stories. I also look forward to reading Gerard’s book. Thank you!
1/4/18