The Family Gathering (Sullivan's Crossing #3)(82)

Dakota said hello to a couple of people in the kitchen, shook a couple of hands, made some excuses and promised to see them later. “Let’s go,” he said, taking Sid’s elbow to steer her out. He made it a point not to look back at Neely. He wondered how the hell she found out about the soup kitchen.

He drove away. “Let’s get closer to home and get a drink. How about that?”

“I’ll have a glass of wine,” she said. “Maybe two, since you’re driving. Jesus, that’s so disturbing.”

“I just don’t get it,” he said.

“Me, either. Look, I think you’re a hunk. But seriously? What’s she going to do with you when she gets you?” Sid pondered aloud. “You’re mad as hell! This doesn’t have happily-ever-after for her stamped on it!”

“This is a first for me,” he said. “So—you’ve made travel plans?”

“I’ve been talking to Rob about it but hadn’t nailed anything down. But, seeing Neely at the soup kitchen, I think now is an excellent time for me to take that trip. And it would give me peace of mind if you’d agree to stay with Cal while I’m gone. I don’t want to think of you alone at the cabin.”

“I’m armed.”

“Even more reason. Cody, I don’t want to even imagine you shooting someone!”

“I hate to break it to you, but in wars—”

“I know, but this isn’t that. Yes,” she said. “We’re at an interesting juncture. A crossroads. This is the time for me to look at my past and see if I can reconcile it. And maybe decide where to go from here. You should do the same. Then we should talk about what will happen next with us.”

“Together?” he asked hopefully. “Are we going to talk about where we go together? Because I’m not ready to give you up.”

“We’ll work this out. And we should figure out what to do about Neely! This has to stop.”

“I’ll call Stan tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow is Sunday,” she reminded him.

“I know where to get his cell number. And I’ll ask Cal to help me with this—he knows everything about the law.”

She sighed heavily. “I’m not running away, Cody. Dr. Faraday asked me specifically if I could come in and consult. I’ll be paid. He genuinely wants my input. He trusts me.”

“Just a few days?”

“Let me see what I’m dealing with. I promise to keep you informed. We’ll talk every day.”

“Why does it have to be you?” he asked, his voice demanding.

“I was very invested in his project. I know what I’m doing. At least, I did before a year of slinging drinks.”

“You’re saying you’re the only one qualified to do this? Now, when we’re just getting around to talking about us?”

She was very quiet. “Yes,” she said quietly. “This is a good time for me to go back there, see what I really want. Need.” After a moment, she said, “Maybe you should just take me home.”

He grabbed her hand. “Please, Sid. No. Come home with me tonight.”

“If you’re sure. I can’t say no to you.”

“That’s what I’m counting on,” he said. “Sorry I barked. I’ll keep my head.”

“Please. I think right now we need to be supportive of each other. We need to not go crazy. God, we’ve dealt with enough craziness.”

They were quiet for a long spell.

“I have some of your favorite wine at home. Let’s skip the bar and go to the cabin. Let’s get our heads on straight. We’re a little shook up, I think,” Dakota said.

“I think so,” she agreed.

*

There was no reason to get up early. It was Sunday morning. The bar would open later. Rob and the boys would probably sleep in. Dakota made himself bacon and eggs while Sid had her fruit and oatmeal. It was ten before they cracked the cabin door.

The first thing they saw was the paint on the Jeep’s hood was burned off and full of bubbles.

“Stay here,” Dakota said. He took a couple of steps toward the Jeep, then stepped back to the doorway. He pushed Sid inside and locked the door. “Acid,” he said. He pulled out his phone and dialed 911. Then he opened his laptop, signed on and looked at the video from the security camera. He scrolled through hours before she came into view. It had been nearly dawn. The image was perfectly clear thanks to the camera’s night vision, infrared LEDs.

*

“It’s going to be a busy day,” Stan said to the small gathering inside Dakota’s cabin.

Dakota sat at his desk, laptop open. Stan, Cal, Officer Glenda Tippin and Sid all looked over his shoulder at the screen.

“Dakota, can you download this and email it to me?” Stan asked.

“Sure,” he said. “Now what? Do we get to arrest her?”

“Sure, but that’s not going to be very satisfying. It’s malicious destruction of private property and, at the end of the day, it’ll probably be a fine. You can take her to court for damages, but what we really want is to make her go away. See, I’ve been doing a little checking—Ms. Benedict has a record. Sort of.”

“Sort of?”

“Well, there have been two restraining orders that I can find. She’s broken into a house and created some havoc, destroyed some property, followed people. She gets in trouble, blows it off. She’s a poser. She slides into communities and groups, invents a new Neely, attaches herself, makes a nuisance of herself. She gets fined, gets sued, throws money at her problems. Yeah, madam comes from a rich family and apparently she can buy off her victims.”