The Professor (McMurtrie and Drake Legal Thrillers #1)(91)

There was just one more thing to take care of.





80


Faith was surprised when she heard her cell phone ringing. When did I turn it back on? she wondered, sitting up from the bed and wiping the sleep from her eyes.

She gazed at the bedside table, confused it wasn’t where she had left it. “Boys, where’s my...”

“Here,” Danny said, bringing it to her. He and Junior were busy playing the in-room Wii, which was one of the amenities this hotel had to offer. “I turned it on to see if it had any games, but they all sucked.”

Faith’s heart caught in her chest. He’s been in my phone, she thought. Could he have seen the texts from Jack? Suddenly alert, she looked at Danny, but saw no signs of agitation or anxiety. All he did was check the games.

“Aren’t you going to answer it?” he asked, as the phone rang for the third time. “You need to check your messages too. You have like ten.”

Faith barely processed Danny’s last comment, as she pressed the answer button.

“Hello.”

“Hello, Faith.” Jack Willistone’s familiar voice chilled Faith’s entire body.

“What do you want?” Faith asked.

“I want to confirm that you’re in New York where you should be. In thirty seconds, I’m going to call the hotel where I told you to stay. If you don’t answer, then all the videos of Buck, the gay porn star, get released.” The phone clicked dead in her hand, and Faith shook with anger. Who does he think he is?

Thirty seconds later, the in-room phone began to ring, and Faith picked up. “Satisfied?”

“Very,” Jack said, chuckling. “Has anyone contacted you regarding the trial in Henshaw County?” Something Danny had just said tickled at Faith’s brain, but she couldn’t remember it.

“No. I haven’t heard anything.”

“You promise?”

“Yes. Why? Why the hell are you so worried about me anyway? I told you all I did was stamp documents and store them. I don’t remember anything and all the documents burned in the fire.”

“Just covering all my bases, Faith dear. No one has contacted you, correct?’

Faith heard a loud beeping sound and she looked at the cell phone on her bed. The light had come on, and Faith glanced down at it. The voice message symbol had the number “10” next to it, and she also had three text messages and twenty missed calls. What the hell?

“I haven’t spoken to anyone,” Faith said, still gazing at the phone.

“Good,” Jack said, and Faith heard what sounded like relief in Jack’s voice. What’s going on? “If someone does call, you call me immediately, you understand? Your sons’ memory of their father depends on it.”

“I know what’s at stake.”

“You better.”

When the phone clicked dead, Faith grabbed the cell phone and held her finger over the voice mail notice.

“Mom, we’re hungry,” Junior said. “It’s almost 8 o’clock, can’t we go somewhere?”

Faith gazed back at the phone. Jack wouldn’t have called if he wasn’t worried, she thought. Ten messages and twenty missed calls. He knows someone is trying to reach me.

“Come on, Mom, get dressed,” Junior pressed.

“If you listen to all those messages, we might as well order room service,” Danny said.

Sighing, Faith turned the phone off and set it back on the dresser. What good would it do to hear them? Whatever it is, she thought, I’m not going to do anything. She grabbed a sundress from the closet and walked to the bathroom, but stopped at the door to look back at her boys. “Why don’t we go to Little Italy tonight?”





81


Wilma got home about 8pm. All she wanted to do was kiss her girls on the forehead and go to bed, but, when she pulled in the driveway, she was met by a surprise. Ms Yost’s car was not there. The house was dark – not a single light was on.

What’s going on? She parked in the driveway and quickly walked to the front door, fumbling in her purse for the keys.

She finally got the door opened and turned the light on. There, on the coffee table, was a note. She ran to it, a sense of dread coming over her. When she picked it up, she held it for a split second before reading. Please, God. Don’t let anything have happened to my babies. She could see JimBone’s face. Please.

She began to read.



Dear Wilma,



I have tried for some time now to find justification for your actions. But I can no longer stand by and watch you do this to your children. I knew you were a stripper. People talk, you know. I didn’t approve, but I wasn’t going to cast stones. A couple of weeks ago, a lady from church said she’d heard you were a prostitute. I didn’t want to believe. Then I heard that message on your answering machine. I left it for you to hear.



With a heavy heart, I have reported you to DHR. Your kids are now in the custody of the County. Jackie doesn’t know. She thinks she’s on a field trip. But Laurie Ann is devastated. I’m sorry, but I had to tell her. I hope that you will change your ways.



I know it doesn’t seem so, but I’m your friend, Wilma. I’m doing this for your children. I hope that one day you can be with them again.