Background
Dax Connor rescued Lael Jackson from an attempted rape. The assailants were found dead. Dax has been charged to stay in town until the investigation in complete. Lael has invited him to stay with her mom and herself. Characters are listed below.
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Posted from previous chapter: "Maybe someone didn't want those two guys talking. It is quite possible that you were grabbed yesterday to get at your mom. It's also possible that she could be in danger. Are we close to your place?"
Covering her mouth and with a sharp intake of breath, Lael replied, "We're just pulling up!"
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You could feel the tension in the car as Stanley drove through the open gate of the Jackson place. It was a few minutes past dusk, but Dax could appreciate the setting. It was an old traditional farmhouse with three dormers and a welcoming wraparound front porch. It was painted a very rustic green. The yard was established, immaculate and well cared for. About thirty yards to the right of the house was a barn with an attached studio.
Coming out of the studio was a woman dressed in jeans and a sweater. With an audible sigh of relief, Lael said, "That's my mom!"
Lael burst from the car ahead of the other two, and the two women eagerly embraced.
Lael's mom started first. "Jimmy and Sylvia have filled me in. It's probably good that I hadn't heard sooner. You would have taken several years from my life. Are you o.k.?"
"Yeah, Mom, I'm fine. Let me introduce you to Dax Connor. If not for him, I wouldn't be here saying I'm fine. Dax, this is my mom Beth."
There was no need for any further introduction. Beth rushed to Dax and threw her arms around him. Within seconds, Dax felt heavy sobs. He didn't back away; he just held Beth, allowing her to rock him side to side. Catching up with snuffles, Beth backed up enough to look up to Dax, as she said, "How can I ever thank you? Beth is all I have left. She is all I have left. Thank you."
Dax backed up a little too, though holding Beth in his arms at a distance. "Beth, I was just the instrument. I'm very familiar with the name Lael, which I know is Hebrew for child of God. You have no idea of how glad that I was to be there." They clutched together again, tears flowed for everyone.
Lael broke the moment. "Mom, Dax brought up the point that maybe those goons picking me up was not an isolated event. Can you give her a 10,000 foot level discussion on what we just talked about in the car?"
"It isn't a really complicated thought. Lael and Stan told me about your newspaper editorials. It could be that you are getting too close to comfort for somebody. Both mentioned this guy Boudreaux and Jimmy confirmed that the two guys found dead worked for him. Way too many coincidences for what's really a small amount of time."
"It could be. I haven't named anyone by name yet, but Boudreaux has his finger in this. I've almost got enough evidence to tie him in, but not quite yet. From what I've found, he is even bigger than we thought. He lives in this area, but is distributing drugs from Macon to Atlanta."
Dax paused before replying, "You're talking about big money. It's the kind of money that causes people to want to hold it and they'll do anything to keep it coming in. It is quite likely that you and Lael are at risk."
Stanley interrupted, "Folks, I've have to get back to the station. Ya'll know that we are only a phone call away. Don't sit on a bad situation by yourself. We can be here in twelve minutes." Stan hugged Lael and shook Dax's hand. "The Sheriff might have expressed some concern with you being here, but I feel a lot better. Ms. Jackson, do you have a gun or two here?"
"I have two handguns that belonged to Luke. They haven't been out of his room for awhile, but we'll take a look at them later after I feed these two." Beth went over and hugged Stanley. "I don't care what that rascal Jimmy Dent says. You're a good man, Stanley Tate." With that, a smiling Stan got in his car, leaving the three in the driveway.
With her arm strung through Lael and Dax's arms, Beth led them into her home. Dax thought the interior fit perfect to the facade. Everything was neat. As he walked through the parlor, he thought how inviting and cozy it all looked. A natural fire had been started, and there was a wonderful aroma wafting through the air. It's hard to mistake how homemade vegetable soup and cornbread smells, and that was exactly the treat that awaited them in the kitchen.
After finishing his second bowl, Dax pushed backed a bit and relaxed. He was trying to remember the last time he was in a private home, eating home cooking and having a conversation with real people. It had been awhile.
Beth interrupted that tiny bit of nostalgia. "Dax, I've set up the studio apartment for you. It's out next to the barn. That's where I was coming from when you came in. I couldn't help but notice that all you came in with was a knapsack. I'm glad to let you borrow some clothes. I think that Luke would have been about your size."
"I've been on the road for awhile, but actually do have two sets of clean underwear and a clean shirt, so I should be o.k. for a bit. Hopefully, I won't have to impose on you for too long. The Sheriff said that I had to stick around until their investigation was done. I've been impressed with Jimmy. He seems quite capable to get the work done in a short time."
Glancing at Lael, Beth replied, "Jimmy is a very good man." Lael blushed.
"I'm not meaning to be nosy, but what brought you through Hurstsville?"
Dax took a sip of hot coffee before replying, "It's a real complicated story. Maybe in short form, I could tell you that some bad things happened to me. My wife and daughter were murdered by terrorists."
"Oh, that is awful, I am so sorry!"
With another sip, Dax continued, "It's a bit more complicated. They were murdered to get to me. That is why I am a bit sensitive to the predicament you find yourself in. I worked for the Government at the time and in a position where I was responsible for slowing or shutting down bad guys."
"Did they ever find out who killed your wife and daughter?"
"Let's just say that they were dealt with. I was ordered to stay out of it and for the most part, given a desk job. I'm old school. When ordered to do something, I do it. One night, three of the terrorists visited my house to finish what they started. Also old school, I had made some security enhancements at my house. The minute they walked through the front door, I was ready for them and they were dealt with."
Lael, who had been sitting on the edge of her chair blurted out, "How?"
Closing his eyes, and in a voice almost too low to hear, Dax, said, "I killed them."
There was a pause that was almost stiflingly silent. All you could hear was the grandfather clock and a drip in the kitchen sink. Finally, Lael asked, "Wasn't that o.k. with the Government? They weren't there for a social call."
"One of the reasons I was asked to stay away from it, was one of the guys I killed was the son of an Ambassador from Jordan. He also was a double agent who supposedly fed us with a lot of sensitive information. He was definitely a hands-off guy. The Agency was pretty upset, and the proverbial 'stuff" hit the fan. They would of thrown the book at me, but at least I had one friend high up in the hierarchy who helped."
Beth, now engrossed as well, asked, "Who was that?"
"The senior Senator from Mississippi, John Andrews. He is currently chairing the Senate Intelligence Committee. I was responsible for helping his daughter get out of a serious mess a few years earlier. Many politicians would have forgotten, but not John. As it was, I still got my hand slapped a bit, but managed to get a full medical retirement from the Secret Service. At my level in the Agency, it has allowed me to live pretty well."
Beth looked at Dax as she questioned, "It doesn't make sense that they would have done anything at all. It sounds like you were just defending your home and yourself."
"Thanks Beth, I appreciate that, but in things like this, you have to know the rest of the story. You see, I had subdued the ambassador's son, so he posed no threat to me at all. He was cuffed and lying on the floor. He looked up at me and said he wasn't going to squeal and beg for his life like my daughter did. I shot him, shattering his femur bone. I then ground his femur under my foot. This is an excruciating and slow way to kill some one. Sometimes at night, I can still hear the screams. I'm not proud of it."
No one said anything for what seemed like minutes, but was more likely just a few seconds. Dax finally continued, "Knowing that little bit about me, if you would rather me stay somewhere else, I can certainly afford a hotel."
