chapter 61
JAKE FOLLOWED A Mississippi state trooper all the way to the north side of West Point and then followed a local black-and-white to the house in Old Waverly. At first Katy and her friend thought it was “so cool” to follow a police car, but they had both fallen asleep after about fifteen minutes. Morgan hadn’t said much, and Jake could tell she was angry—not necessarily at him, but he was the handiest target. He wondered what more he could have done.
Two West Point police officers walked around the outside of Jake’s house and shined flashlights in potential hiding spots. Everyone assumed the inside was safe, since the alarm had been set. Jake shook each officer’s hand and thanked them. He noticed that it had quit raining and the temperature had dropped several degrees since they left for the concert.
“You sure you don’t want us to look around inside? We don’t mind,” one of the officers politely offered.
“No, it’s not necessary. Y’all have done plenty, and the house alarm was set. I really appreciate the offer, though.”
As the police cruiser pulled away, Katy’s friend’s parents pulled up. It didn’t surprise Jake that they would want to take her home. He’d do the same thing. He’d even offered to drop her off on the way home, but they insisted on coming to his house. He assumed that they didn’t want him anywhere near their home.
Morgan met them at the front door with a very sleepy twelve-year-old girl. She was clutching her concert souvenirs, including a curled, airbrushed cowboy hat with pink feathers that seemed like a good idea at the time but would never be worn again.
Not knowing what to say about everything that had happened, Morgan said to the mom, “I think she had a great time. The concert was really good.”
“Thanks for taking her. She texted me that she had fun,” she said as she stroked her daughter’s hair.
Jake quickly added, trying to assuage her fears, “Don’t worry; she was with Morgan and me the whole time.”
“Are y’all gonna be okay?” the father asked.
Morgan looked at Jake and then back at the dad and said, “Oh yes. A whole bunch of cops are lookin’ for this guy.”
As the parents were heading for the car, the mom said, “Call us if you need anything or if Katy needs a place to stay. Oh, and congratulations! I heard you’re expecting!”
“We will, and thank you,” Morgan said with a slight wave. She folded her arms tightly as the parents hurriedly drove off.
Jake looked at her and sighed. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, Jake.”
“I sure feel like it is.”
“Come on, let’s get inside. I’m cold, and I wanna lock the doors and turn on the alarm.”
“Go ’head. I’ll be in shortly. I need to make a phone call first.”
“Who are you going to call at this hour?”
“R.C.”
“It’s almost two.”
“Knowin’ him, he’s probably watching Law and Order reruns.”
“Okay. Please be sure and set the alarm when you come in.”
Jake nodded and then watched Morgan walk into the house and close the door. She doesn’t need all this stress, particularly bein’ pregnant. They had finally gotten their lives and marriage back on track since the Dummy Line.
Jake knew that he had to do something; everything was in jeopardy yet again. He had plenty of firepower, and if he had the element of surprise, he could take out Moon Pie. He’d kill him Pie if it came down to it.
Jake looked back through the leaded glass of the front door, thinking that others were depending on him, just like at the Dummy Line. He needed a plan. He couldn’t go off half-cocked. Success, and most likely his life, would depend on it.
He glanced at the dark sky, wondering where the moon was, and realized he had to talk to R.C. He dialed the number. When it went to voice mail, Jake said, “R.C., this is Jake Crosby. We had an incident at the concert tonight. Moon Pie saw us there and passed a note to me. By the time I read it, he was gone. At any rate, I’m sick and tired of this bullshit. Monday mornin’ I’m goin’ to his gold shop and confront him. I was hopin’ you might join me. You’ve got my number. Please give me a call.”
Jake slid the phone into his pocket and opened his front door.
A distraught Morgan met him. “I can’t find Scout!”