chapter 41
JAKE HAD LONG since kissed Katy good night. Now he lay on the bed with his arms crossed behind his head while Morgan washed her face and prepared for bed. It had been a long day and an even longer week. Katy had sensed that her parents were on edge and had asked some questions about their safety. Hearing Katy’s concern made Jake realize how important it was for him to take the primary responsibility for the protection of his family.
The police periodically drove by the house, the Old Waverly security was heightened at the guard’s gate, Morgan had alerted the school officials, and in general, the entire town of West Point was looking out for them. It was comforting to know folks genuinely cared—but it wasn’t going to be enough.
Jake wondered if he or his family were being stalked, if someone had deliberately burned down the camp house, and if any or all of this could be related to the events of the Dummy Line. Maybe it was just a Peeping Tom spying on Morgan. She’s hot and parades around the house all the time in a tank top with no bra and skintight yoga pants or shorts. It’s hard not to look. And the camp was old and the wiring was probably shot. Or maybe a bunch of drunk kids did it for kicks; it happens. If somebody was lookin’ for revenge, they’d have done it by now. Hell, that night was front-page news for days, and it stayed in the papers for weeks.
“Do you still have your pistol in your car?” Jake yelled to Morgan.
“Nope. I keep it in my purse now.”
“Good. But you gotta get your concealed-carry permit.”
“What’s that?” she asked, brushing her hair hard enough that Jake thought it should hurt.
“You have to have a permit if you’re gonna carry a pistol around with you.”
“Do you have one?”
“Well, no, but I don’t carry mine around with me everywhere either. It’s in my truck, though.”
“Maybe you should.”
“Yeah, I was just lyin’ here thinkin’ that.”
“I hate that we’re havin’ to think about this, Jake.”
“Me too. It’s not anybody’s fault. It just happened.”
Morgan came and sat down on the bed next to him. “I’m not blamin’ you, babe.”
“I know. I didn’t mean to imply that you were. Tomorrow R.C. will be here, and he’ll be able to help us think through this. He’s pretty street-smart.”
“I’m glad you called him,” she said, walking back into the bathroom.
“I think I’ll teach Katy how to shoot your LadySmith this weekend. Just so she knows.”
“Jake, she’s only twelve. She’s kinda young, don’t you think?”
“Not at all. I can’t believe I haven’t taught her already. I don’t want her to be afraid of handguns, just to respect them like she does her rifle and shotgun. And, I want her to understand that gun control is about bein’ able to hit what you aim at.”