In the meantime, it seemed our plan was working, just as I’d hoped. Linc had seized the opportunity of my absence to spend more time with Jessie Klinger. She, feeling angry with me for having left her with so much to deal with and yet not spoken to her directly, responded to his advances. It seemed they had formed a sort of devil’s liaison and we heard via Mrs. Langford’s conversations with Mr. Langford that Linc was seldom about. This lessened our element of danger, as well.
Auggie and I spent our nights in one another’s arms. Sometimes we never even made the bed but used it as a sort of living/sleeping room. By necessity, we kept the lights off at night, even though the heavy drapes at the window were always closed. Auggie had learned to read my body; the cover of darkness heightens the remaining senses. Her fingers began on the cleft in my chin, a sort of starting spot that fit her index finger perfectly. She slid fingertips down my chest, kissing my face so that I could suck her breasts at the same time. When her hand eventually reached my dick, she’d pump me with excruciating slowness, each stroke coaxing me to swell larger and longer.
These were my favorite times, those private moments when she showed me her love. Often, she’d swing around, her head to my feet, so that I could stroke her pussy at the same time. We began a matching rhythm; a way of guiding the other to give what felt best by doing it to them first. A language of love, of flesh and warmth — drawn together by the ever-present fear of discovery. I learned a great deal about my wife, apart from her being a daughter or mother. I realized that what had begun as lust for the long-legged filly who walked into my office that day had become a deep source of pride as I began to realize the women she was. In some sense, this time together was treasured; if not even necessary.
I finally returned home. The story was now that Auggie was in seclusion, recovering and didn’t want any contact. The doctors thought it best she be left alone. I brought Ford to her dad’s on Sundays and mother and son were reunited, much to her extreme joy. Mr. Langford kept up his part of the updating of mothers and it looked as though we may have pulled things off.
I wasn’t surprised when Jessie Klinger tendered her resignation. In fact, it was with extreme relief. It seemed that, through Mr. Langford’s coaching, my mother had contacted Linc and expressed a desire to live back at the family home. She would look after him, she told him. Evidently, Linc could not picture himself surrounded by two aging, interfering and demanding ladies and scampered into Jessie’s arms as she boarded a flight back for the east coast. She had looks, money and best of all, he had stolen her from me, so he was happy. He signed the farm back over to Mother in return for a nice fat check, which I had backed for Mother. She had no desire to live there and stayed in her condo, but she did as I asked without question. She was far brighter than Father had ever given her credit for.
***
I was waiting for it to get dark so I could visit Auggie when I decided to stop by Joe’s. I received a good deal of back-slapping as the word had travelled that Auggie would recover and hopefully be home by Christmas. I had to refuse most of the rounds of drinks or risk being too drunk to drive.
I was sitting quietly in a booth, my back to the door when I felt an arm brush mine and a man slid into the opposite seat. I was surprised; it was Earl Kinsey. “Earl,” I acknowledged with a nod.
Earl had a very, very serious look on his face and I knew it was no accident that he was there that evening. I waited for him to begin.
“Worth, after we talked, I asked around a bit. I know about Linc and the whole mess. I’m sorry there was nothing I could do.”
“Earl, I appreciate you sticking your neck out, but I had to deal with it my own way.”
His face wrinkled with confusion. “You mean, you had something to do with it?”
I looked at him and something wasn’t right. “What do you mean. To do with what?”
“His death.”
My hand shot across the table as I grabbed his wrist. “Whose death, Earl?”
“Why your brother, Linc. God dammit, don’t tell me you don’t know?” He sat straight upward and began to squirm. “Jesus, Worth, I thought you’d heard.”
“Tell me,” I said between clenched teeth.
“Linc’s dead, Worth. Jesus, I’m sorry.”
“What happened,” I asked, barely able to breathe.
“He’d been hanging around at the track here in town. Went behind some backs again and they came looking for him. I heard he found a broad, some kind of doctor and took off with her to the coast. Paper went out on the street and their car was found at the bottom of a ravine, burned to a crisp.” He looked at my face and shook his head. “You mean to tell me you hadn’t heard?”
“No,” I said curtly, my head swimming with all that this meant. “Excuse me, Earl,” I threw a hundred on the table and slid out of the seat, heading for the door.
“Let me know if you need anything,” Earl called after me.
***
I burst into Mr. Langford’s house and grabbed Auggie by the arm. “Pack your things, sweetheart. We’re going home.”
Walter walked into the room and the two of them looked at me in confusion.
I went to her, circling her upper arms with my fingers. “I just got the word. Linc is dead.”
Auggie’s mouth dropped open, her green eyes wide with surprise. “Dead? How? Why? What does…?” She trailed off, trying to piece it all together as I had earlier.
Grinning at her, I helped her out. “Yes, dead. He and Jessie both. He screwed the syndicate and this time, they just got rid of him.”
She shook her head, eyes filling with tears. “Does this mean it’s over?”
I grinned bigger. “Yes, baby. C’mon, let’s go home. Our nightmare is over.”
Auggie’s face burst into joy before she remembered herself and it faded. “Oh, god, Worth. I didn’t want him to die,” she whispered. “And what do you mean, Jessie too?”
“Auggie, you had nothing to do with it,” I said, stroking my fingers down her cheek. “He practically committed suicide. I should have realized he was his own worst enemy. I know you didn’t want him killed, but it’s over now and nothing can bring him back, even if we wanted to. I’m sorry Jessie had to get mixed up in it, though. I didn’t like her much, but she didn’t deserve that.”
Walter grunted in agreement and I looked up and smiled at the man who’d been such an amazing help to us during this terrible time. He simply wiped his hand on his shirt, lit a pipe and nodded. He’d been around long enough to realize that people got what they deserved — it was life renewing itself.
“C’mon, sweetheart, let’s go home to our son!”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Auggie