Shane wondered why he felt uneasy as he got dressed. There was nothing specific that was worrying him, just the same general issues that had been plaguing him for the past several days. His attempts to find out anything about Jericho kept hitting dead ends. He felt no better able to protect Andrew and Kim than before. His relationship with Tarrington was still strained after their argument about Steve. Things with Kim at the house were still awkward. And, of course, Lawrence Alamain still posed an overriding threat to everyone Shane knew.
"So maybe I don't really need to wonder," Shane muttered as he buckled his belt, double-checked that his gun was secure in his shoulder holster, and grabbed his suit coat before leaving his bedroom.
The upstairs of the house was quiet, which was not surprising. It was just after 6 a.m., and Kim had been up during the night with a crying Jeannie. Shane had been tempted to see what was wrong, but reminded himself that it was not his role. He was not Jeannie's father.
Making his way downstairs, he heard noise in the kitchen. Simmons, always an early riser, was probably preparing breakfast.
"Morning, Sir," Simmons said as Shane entered. Without being asked, he poured a cup of coffee and passed it to Shane. "Figure you'd need this."
"Jeannie woke you too?" Shane asked.
"I don't really mind." Simmons smiled. "Reminds me a bit of when you and Master Drew were wee tykes. Ah, the pair of you. One of you'd start to cry and, just when we'd get that one settled, the other would start. Gave your mum fits."
"I'm sure she managed just fine with your help." Shane took a sip of the coffee. That's definitely what I needed.
Simmons pointed at the breakfast table. "The paper is over there, Sir."
"Anything interesting?" Shane asked.
"I didn't take a look." Simmons motioned to a pan in front of him. "I wanted to get these cinnamon rolls cooked before Master Andrew came down. You know they're his favorite. And I figured, with him still not being able to go to school, it might cheer him up."
"That's a nice thought." Shane took another sip of the coffee and turned toward the table. He took a seat and skimmed the world headlines in the Spectator. Armenia becomes the latest part of the Soviet Union to declare independence. That meant the ISA would have another government to keep tabs on. More trouble in Iraq as inspectors discover files about Saddam Hussein's nuclear weapons program. Shane wondered how much of that discovery was due to information provided by Ahmed Salim.
Closer to home, the front page reported the high school football team had lost a close game and the mayor had declared a war on graffiti. Shane chuckled. If only Salem's problems could be the biggest problems the world faced.
"Daddy! Daddy!" Andrew's shout pierced the morning calm as he raced into the kitchen. Shane barely managed to put the coffee cup down before his son barreled into him.
"Whoa there, Sport," Shane said, even though he grinned as Andrew gave him a hug. "You're up early."
Andrew stepped back as Shane let go of him, and looked up earnestly. "Can we go riding? Pretty please?"
Shane started to say no. "I have to go-" But then he stopped himself. He had been working long hours at the field office and in his communications room trying to find out about Jericho and setting up the new plans for the Alamain investigation, and had barely spent any time with Andrew in the past week. Shane looked over at the clock. It was still before 6:30 a.m. and Andrew's tutor would not be arriving until 8 a.m. It probably did not leave enough time to saddle the pony and a horse for Shane so they could both go for a ride, but Shane had an idea.
"I bet Jester's getting tired of being cooped up in the stable," Shane said. "So how about we take him out in the corral for a little bit. Is that okay?"
Andrew's face broke out in a wide smile. "Can we?"
"Sure." Shane nodded. "Go get your jacket and boots, and we'll go right now. And when we get back, I think Simmons will have a batch of cinnamon rolls all ready. Right, Simmons?"
"Absolutely, Sir."
Andrew tore out of the kitchen even faster than he had entered, leaving both of the men to laugh at the boy's energy. Shane took another sip from his coffee cup and stood up.
"I guess I'd better get prepared for a riding lesson," he said.
Simmons smiled, but he looked out the door in the direction Andrew had run. "You know, Sir. . . . I don't say this much, but your parents . . . they would've been proud of you. And that boy, oh, they would've loved that boy." He sighed. "It's such a shame what happened to them that they never saw their grandson."
"I know," Shane said, with a slight tinge of regret. His parents had disappeared in a boating accident just over a year before he had come to Salem, and had never met either of their grandchildren. "They would've doted on Eve. And you know they would've spoiled Andrew rotten."
"And you would've let them, Sir," Simmons said.
Shane laughed. "You know me too well, Simmons." He was about to say something else, but he heard the echo of rapid footsteps coming toward the kitchen. An instant later, Andrew burst into the room, his face full of anticipation.
"Ready, Daddy?" he asked excitedly.
"Did you manage to get all the way upstairs and back with your jacket that fast?" At Andrew's hasty nod, Shane joked, "You know, Simmons, I think we may have a future Olympic sprint champion in this house."
"That we might," Simmons said.
Andrew grabbed Shane's hand and began pulling him toward the back door. He smiled as he was pulled through the door into the brisk morning air. That was when Shane realized he was still holding the Spectator. "Wait a second," Shane said, letting go of Andrew's hand and turning back inside.
"Hurry, Daddy!" Andrew urged.
Shane shook his head, but could not help but smile at his son's antics. From the doorway, he folded the paper back up and tossed it onto the table. As he stepped outside, pulled the door closed behind him, and followed Andrew toward the garden gate, Shane never noticed the box on the bottom, right corner of the front page of the Spectator. It trumpeted an article inside:
"Details Emerge On Government Rescue Of Local Man."