Chapter 74

Jack's morning was going well at work. Emma has already called twice with updates and information Jack needed to know about. She has sent Lee a housing list and copied Jack on the email. He laughed to himself knowing full well that she was a great hire. "She will be running the department as soon as she walks through the door." He mentioned to himself under his breath.

He was tired from his night with his wife, but he would not have changed anything about the evening. The game of flirting with Elizabeth was fun and exciting. The glances and touches ignited an entire night of passion. He didn't think that was possible.

J – Thank you for a night I will never forget

Elizabeth didn't respond to his text. He assumed she was sleeping. She was asleep when he left for work.

J – I hope you can still make it to lunch with Lee today, but I won't hold it against you if you don't. Take care of yourself and Ig and Iggy.

He was shaking his head at the memories from the previous night when Lee knocked on his door.

"Chief, good morning."

"Good morning, Lee. It's not chief." Jack was really beginning to hate that nickname.

"Sure. Amy has me set to finish up some paperwork this morning. Should take me an hour or so."

"Perfect. We will grab lunch afterward. I have invited my wife, Elizabeth, to join us. I hope you don't mind?"

Lee was a little surprised. He has never been to a working lunch with the boss' wife before. "Sure."

"I'm not sure if she will be there or not, but I wanted you to meet her."

"She must be special if you invited her to a working lunch."

"Well, she is very special to me. However, this isn't a working lunch. I just wanted to get to know you a little bit more before you leave later today."

Lee nodded his head. "I'll be in the office down the hall with Amy."

"Have you checked your email? Emma sent some information concerning housing."

"She has sent me three texts, two emails, and I have received one phone call from her already this morning. That lady is on top of everything."

"She really is."

"How can she do all of that from Oklahoma City?"

"I have no idea. Can you imagine what she will be like when she is actually here?"

"She may be the chief." Both men laughed at the probably true statement.

…

Elizabeth woke up and let out a long sigh. Without realizing what she was doing, she placed her hand on her little baby bump. She was completely satisfied. Last night was incredible. Her friends from college would talk about their boyfriends saying things like that, but no one has ever experienced anything like that. The smile grew as the memories from last night played in her mind.

She picked up her phone and noticed a couple of missed calls from Abagail and two texts from Jack. She texted Jack back and told him she would meet them at the café at noon. She called her sister back.

"Hey sis." Abagail answered her phone. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine, Abagail."

"I was a little worried about you since you weren't here for breakfast. I know you have been going into school for half days working on your classroom. I was afraid you were sick this morning with the babies."

"Oh no. I just woke up."

"Elizabeth! It's almost 10:30."

"I didn't go to sleep until eight this morning."

"Oh no. Were you sick last night? You should have called me. I could have helped."

"I wasn't sick." Her face blushed a little.

"Elizabeth. You are carrying twins. You need all the sleep you can get now so those two precious babies will be perfect."

"I know, Abagail. That's why I was sleeping until now."

"That's only two and a half hours."

"I know, sis. I was with Jack."

"You are always with Jack. Why would that keep you up all night?"

Elizabeth and Abagail had a true sister/best friend relationship. They talked about intimate details, but never going into too much detail though.

"Well, we were…together…last night." She emphasized the word 'together'.

"Elizabeth, you are always togeth…" She stopped abruptly in midsentence when she realized what her little sister meant. "Elizabeth…all night?" She whispered in disbelief.

"Yeah…" She smiled at the memory. "In the living room, the kitchen, the bedroom, and the bathroom. I didn't know the time until I glanced outside and saw the sun."

"Elizabeth Marie Thorton…you go girl." She let out a loud laugh.

"Abagail!" Squealed Elizabeth.

"What?"

Elizabeth shook her head. She told Abagail about coming to eat lunch with Jack and his new detective at noon. Abagail said that she would have a table ready for them. They talked for a few more minutes about everything and nothing at all. Both ladies loved their relationship. Over the three years since Elizabeth moved to Hope Vally, their relationship only deepened.

"I'll see you in a little over an hour."

"Great sis. Take care of those babies. See you soon. Love you."

"Love you."

…

Vi sat at her desk with a large smile on her face all morning. Work was going well, but that wasn't the cause of her smile. First, James was wonderful. They were enjoying getting to know each other and things were developing well on that front. They haven't kissed yet, but there was hand holding and stolen touches and looks. The pace was perfect for them. Second, she felt like she was gaining her old self back, maybe a better version of her old self.

She was gaining in confidence at her work. It was evident. The large loan portion of the bank was beginning to turn around. It was a slow process, but noticeable by everyone. Her smile was bigger than it ever was. As a teen and young adult, her life revolved around the right social crowds and her desire to fit into that crowd. Now, she wanted to be a better Viola, a better daughter, and a better sister. Those three areas were improving.

When her phone buzzed, she saw James' picture show up along with his text. A little giggle escaped without her realizing it.

"That must be an important text." Her assistant stated from the door way.

"Oh." An embarrassed Vi stated.

"Here are the papers on the Johnson loan. The bank president wanted your thoughts on them."

"No problem. I'll look them over and have something for him in a couple of hours."

When her assistant left, she opened the text.

J – Thank you for a great evening last night. It was perfect.

V – It was. Thank you.

J – I would like to ask you out for this weekend, but I have to head out of town for the weekend.

V – Too bad. Where are you going if I may ask?
J – You may certainly ask. I have a conference in Bantif that I need to attend. It's a construction conference. I don't sale anything there, but I made a lot of contacts there. It's good for business.

V – That sounds nice. Where is Bantif?
J – It's about a two hour drive from here

V – Well, I'll miss seeing you

J – Me too

J – Hey, would you like to go?

Vi's breath caught in her throat. Did he ask me to stay with him for a weekend out of town?

J – In separate hotel rooms of course

She breathed and a smile came across her face. He really is a gentleman. She thought to herself.

V – Maybe. Can we talk about it later?

J – Sure. No pressure

The next little while, there was a battle in Viola's mind. She did enjoy her time with James. The weekend would be fun to be with him, and there wouldn't be any pressure since she would have her own room. She trusted him. Maybe this weekend would advance their relationship. She smiled at that thought.

…

Elizabeth stepped into the café with a few minutes before Jack and Lee was supposed to be there. Abagail looked up and saw her friend standing at the door with her hand on her tummy. Abagail smiled. That was the first time she noticed Elizabeth's baby bump. She walked up to her little sis and wrapped her into a sisterly hug.

"You look great." She whispered.

"I feel great."

"I bet." Abagail smirked.

Elizabeth playfully smacked her sister's arm. "Abagail. You're so bad."

"And playful too." She teased.

"Abagail! I shouldn't have said anything to you."

Abagail wrapped her arm around her sis. "Let's go. I have a table set for you all." She stated. Abagail took Elizabeth's arm into her arm, "Elizabeth, you're absolutely glowing."

"I'm not sure about that, but I feel happy, very happy."

After a couple of minutes, Jack opened the door for Lee. After stepping in, Abagail quickly approached them.

"Jack. You look so happy this morning." She gave him a playful smile.

Jack was a little confused by her smile. "I'm happy. Great even."

"And so well rested."

Jack looked at his older sis trying to figure out what was her hidden meaning.

Without knowing, Elizabeth walked up to the group. She saw the look on Abagail's face. Since she knew her sister so well, she knew what that look meant.

"Good afternoon, husband." She stated to Jack but was giving Abagail a look.

"Good afternoon, wife." Jack took another look at Abagail and then at Elizabeth. "Elizabeth, Abagail, this is Leland Coulter. Lee, this is my wife Elizabeth and our best friend and honorary sister, Abagail Hogan. She owns and runs this café."

Lee smiled and shook each lady's hands. "It's great to meet you."

"Elizabeth, gentleman, I have a table set for you. Elizabeth, would you please take them to the table? I'll bring everyone's drinks and then I'll grab your order."

After sitting down at the table, the conversation flowed easily. "Lee, Jack stated that you are married?"

"I am. We were married four years ago. She was a theater actress. That's how we meet. There was an incident at the theater, and I was called to the scene."

"Her name is Rosemary?"

"Yes."

"Interesting. I grew up with a Rosemary."

"Really?" Lee asked a little surprised.

"Yes. Rosemary LeVeaux." Elizabeth exclaimed thoughtfully.

"From Hamilton?" Asked a shocked Lee.

"Yeah…how did you know that?"

At that moment, Jack's cell phone went off in a different ring tone. It was a ring tone that indicated an emergency.

"This is Thorton." Jack said standing.

After listening for a moment, Jack closed the call and turned to Elizabeth. "I've got to go. I love you." He leaned down to kiss her tummy twice. "I love you Ig and Iggy. Be good for mommy." Then he kissed Elizabeth quickly on the lips. "I'll text or call when I can." With that, he turned to leave without saying a word. Lee was immediately behind him as they ran out the door.

Elizabeth watched Jack as he ran out the door. She closed her eyes and offered a prayer for Jack and his safety, and for what ever the case was. Abagail walked up when Elizabeth was praying. She placed her hand on Elizabeth's shoulder and offered her own prayer.

…

Jack closed the door on his vehicle at the same time Lee did.

"What are you doing?" Jack asked.

Lee turned his head in complete shock. "What do you mean?"

"Lee, your hired but you haven't started yet."

"Jack, I started when the emergency call came in. Now, let's go." He stated with determination in his voice. "By the way, where are we going and why?"

"That was Chief Avery. There was an attempted kidnapping in the park."

"I thought he was leaving town for vacation?"

"He leaves tomorrow."

Jack and Lee readied themselves as they approached the park. This is the park that Jack and Elziabeth frequented often. Their bench was in front of the water fountain. As he listened to the communication coming through the CB radio, he knew exactly where to go.

They pulled in before the ambulance and parked beside Chief Avery's car.

Chief Avery walked up to Jack as soon as he closed his car door. "Jack. We have an attempted child kidnapping. The young boy is fine. He is sitting on the bench with her mother and a police officer is standing beside them. The ambulance is on their way to check the boy out. He will have some bruising on both of his arms but nothing else physically wrong with him. He is a little shaken up from the ordeal, but other than that, he is good."

"Any leads?"

"I'm sorry Jack, but who is this?" He asked looking at Lee.

"I'm sorry Chief. This is Leland Coulter. Lee is the detective I hired. We were eating lunch together when I received your call."

"Oh, that's right. Nice to meet you Lee."

"Yes sir. Did anyone see the suspect?" Asked Lee.

"Only the boy. He is a little too shaken up to give a description right now. All he wants to do is be in his mother's arms."

Jack thought for a moment. The longer they wait, the further the suspect will get away. However, you can't push a young witness too much or they will shut down. Jack opened the back door to his car and pulled out a juice box and a bag of white cheddar popcorn. He has worked enough cases with children to know a small snack goes a long way in establishing a relationship with a child, especially when a parent is present.

Jack slowly walked up to the mother and child sitting on the bench. "Ma'am, my name is Detective Jack Thorton. I have a snack and some juice if your son would like to have them."

The mother smiled. "I know who you are. You are the new chief."

"I will be but not yet." He gave her a friendly smile.

The mother looked at her child. "Samuel, would you like some juice and a snack?"

The little boy looked up at Jack and then at his mother. Without saying a word, he nodded his head. The boy's mother took the snacks from Jack and handed them to the boy.

"Ma'am, this officer will stay here with you for both of your protection until everything is wrapped up. She will not leave your side until you tell her too."

The mother nodded her head.

"Samuel, are you ok?" Jack asked kneeling down on his knees, so the little boy had to look down to see Jack's face.

…

"What is he doing?" Asked Lee.

"He is trying to win the young boy over. By kneeling down and letting the boy look down on him, the boy has a sense of a little authority, a little control."

"That's smart."

"It is. Jack is really good."

…

The little boy nodded his head, but didn't say anything.

"That's great, Samuel. Do you see those two men getting out of the ambulance?"

Samuel nodded but didn't say anything.

"They will come over here to check you out. They want to make sure you are ok and not hurt. The police officer will remain exactly where she is standing protecting you." Jack looked up at the police officer who nodded in agreement. "Your mother will remain with you. You do not have to leave her lap. Is that ok with you?"

Samuel looked at his mother. She nodded her head. Then he looked at the police officer. She gave him a little smile. "I am not going anywhere." She stated. Then the little boy looked at the two men walking toward him. After examining the two men for a few seconds, his gazed turned toward Jack. Samuel stared into Jack's eyes. The connection was palpable.

After thinking about it for a few moments. the little boy nodded.

When Jack stood to let the paramedics in to check Samuel out, Samuel reached for Jack's hand and wouldn't let go.

Jack kneeled down again. "Samuel, would you like for me to stay too?"

The boy nodded but still didn't say anything.

Jack looked toward Samuel's mother. She nodded her approval.

Jack sat on the bench beside Samuel and his mother. The little boy did not let go of Jack's hand. Jack gave him a smile and squeezed his hand gently.

As the EMTs approached, Jack turned his attention to them. "Ladies, this is Samuel. He will remain in his mother's embrace as you look him over. Understand?" Jack's tone wasn't harsh, it was protective. There was no doubt that Samuel was going to remain in his mother's lap. The EMTs smiled their approval.

While the paramedics examined the little boy, he ate his popcorn and sipped on the juice box. The paramedics told the mother that he would possibly have a few bruises, but nothing was physically wrong with him.

…

Elizabeth and Abagail sat at the table in each other's company. Both were worried about what was going on. They did not know and that was causing some anxiety.

"How do you do this?"

Elizabeth let out a loud sigh. "It's the hardest part. I love Jack and I always worry about him when he is at work."

"I can imagine."

"I know the possible dangers of his job and they bother me, but I also know he is made to protect people. It is part of who he is. I can't change that, nor would I ask him too." Elizabeth lowered her head for a moment. "It scares me some, but I love him more than I am scared."

Abagail reached for Elizabeth's hand. "He is very good at what he does."

"Yes, he is. His old superintendent told me before Jack came here permanently that Jack was the best investigator he has ever seen. He was first in his police academy class and first in his investigator training. He said it wasn't even close in both trainings. He would have been the superintendent of the investigator's department at some point."

"I knew he was good."

With pride in her voice and written on her face. "Yes, he is." Elizabeth straightened her back and sat tall. "He is my husband, and I am very proud of him."

…

"Samuel, I am going to go and find this person, but I need your help. Could you please describe the person for me?" Jack asked about ten minutes after the paramedics left. They had been sitting silently on the bench.

Samuel looked up at Jack with a sad expression. He didn't say anything.

"I know it's scary, Samuel. But remember, your mom is here, and the police officer is here. It is my job to stop this person from doing anything like this again. Was the person a boy or a girl?"

Samuel lowered his head. He was traumatized by the events.

Jack placed his finger under Samuel's chin and raised it so he would look at Jack. "Samuel, it is ok. You are safe now. We will watch over you. You are a strong young man. Do you see those two men?" Jack asked as he pointed to Chief Avery and Lee. When Samuel nodded, Jack continued. "We are going to go and catch this person. You stay here with this officer and your mom. Ok? She will protect you."

Jack looked up at the boy's mother and gave her a reassuring smile. Jack stood to leave and ruffed the boy's hair. "I will see you in a little bit."

As he took his first step to leave, he heard a faint voice.

"It…it was my father." The voice was barely audible.

Jack turned back around and kneeled in front of Samuel. Samuel's mother gasped.

"Samuel, are you sure it was your father?"

He nodded his head.

"You are such a strong young man. Thank you. That is very helpful." He reached and gave the young man a hug.

Jack looked at the mother.

"We divorced two years ago. He really hasn't shown much interest in Samuel. He sees him a couple of times a year, but he hasn't really said anything about wanting more time. I have full custody."

Jack nodded his head. "Ma'am, what is his name and his address? Do you know what he drives?"

Jack wrote the information down and gave her a strong smile. He looked at Samuel with the same smile. "We got this now. You are a great partner. Thank you."

"A partner?" Samuel asked just above a whisper.

"Yes, my partner. Samuel, I couldn't do this with out your help. You are a very important part of this. That makes you my partner. Now, this officer will have a couple more questions for your mom. Once she is done asking them, she will escort you home."

"Detective Thorton. She doesn't have to do that." Exclaimed Samuel's mother.

"Yes, ma'am she does. I am asking her too. She will drive you home and another officer will follow you. Once you are at your home, one of the officers will walk your house to make sure you two are safe. The other officer will wait with you at the vehicle. Once they clear the house, they will escort you two in and make sure you are comfortable before they leave. They only leave when you give them the ok. Understand?"

"Detective…"

Jack cut her off. "Ma'am, please allow us to do this. We will feel more comfortable knowing you are safe and taken care of."

"But…"

"For me?"

She smiled and nodded her head. "Thank you, Chief."

"Not Chief yet." Jack stood and put out his fist. Samuel fist bumped him and Jack said, "Partner" when he did.

Jack turned his attention to the officer and looked her directly into her eyes. In a voice that left no doubt. "You do not do anything else today until you take them home and they dismiss you. Understand?!"

"Yes, Chief."

Jack shook his head and smiled.

…

Walking towards Chief Avery and Lee, Jack pulls out his phone and texts Elizabeth.

J – 831 Talk later.

He placed his phone back in his pocket when he was standing in front of them. He handed the piece of paper to Chief Avery.

"Samuel said his father was the person who tried to kidnap him. Here is his father vehicle, name, and address."

"Great work, Jack. I couldn't get him to say anything."

"Were about forty five minutes after the fact, let's get that out to the entire state police stations and to the state troopers.

…

Elizabeth felt her phone buzz and she immediately turned her hand over to look at it. It was the text from Jack. Her face lit up in a bright smile.

E – 831 Be careful

"Was that Jack?"

"Yes. He said he loved me, and we will talk later."

"Did he tell you what was happening?"

"No, and I don't care. He is safe and must still be busy because he didn't say anything else."

She sat back in her chair and let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. She placed her hand on her baby bump and sighed.

"I have noticed you doing that a lot lately."

"Doing what?"

"That." Abagail stated. "Placing your hand on your belly."

"Oh…I don't even realize I'm doing it."

They sat at the table for a few more minutes just talking. This was a great distraction for Elizabeth. She enjoyed her time with Abagail, but she was tired. She smiled at the reason why she was tired, but she was tired, nonetheless. These babies were starting to wear her down too.

"I think I'm going home to take a nap." Elizabeth stated as she stood up and placing money on top of the table for the bill and a tip.

"You haven't received your bill yet. How do you know how much to leave?"

"Abagail, I have been coming here over three years and I order like four things" She laughed. "I hope you have a great afternoon."

"You too, sweetie. How about we all grab dinner one night or something?"

"Sounds perfect."

"Hey, when are you moving into the new house?"

"I'm hearing anywhere between one to two weeks. I'm so excited I can't stand it."

"I bet you are. Now, go and let Ig and Iggy get some rest."

Elizabeth shook her head. "Not you too?" She laughed.

"I think it's cute."

"Mom hasn't gotten ahold of him about that yet. She really doesn't like it." She laughed at the memory of Charlette fussing. "I love you, sis."

"I love you. Now go!"

…

Elizabeth fell asleep as soon as she was comfortable on the couch. In her sleep, she smiled at the dream she was having.

Let's go sweetheart. We need to get these rug rats in the bath.

"Hey, who are you calling a rug rat." Both kids yelled as they ran across the lawn. Each one jumped on Jack and tackled him to the ground.

"Ma, did you hear what he said?" TJ yelled as Jack began to tickle his ribs. Jack reached for his little girl as she jumped off of his stomach. She placed her fists on her hips and tilted her head just like her mother does. "Daddy, I am not a rug rat!" She said in her best scary teacher voice as she mimicked her mother's tone.

Baby, you are absolutely adorable just like your mother when you do that.

"Daddy, I am not supposed to be adorable." She said with a determined voice.

Elizabeth sat on the swing laughing at the scene before her. TJ was still trying to tickle his father and her precious little girl was acting just like her. Elizabeth had to admit that her daughter did look adorable. She did not have the scary teacher face down yet.

"Alright kiddos, let's go inside and get in the bath."

"But dad…" Both kids said at the same time.

"Children." A stern tone coming from their mother. "Enough arguing. Let's mind what daddy said. It's getting late and you both are dirty. It's bath time. Then we will get a small snack and then we will read you two a bed time story."

"Yay!" They both yelled turning to run into the house.

"How do you do that?"

"I don't know." She said while shaking her head. "They listened to you all the time when they were in my belly. I guess it's my time now."

Jack let out a loud laugh. "That's very true. Every time I told them to not get you sick and give you a nice day, they did." Jack stated as he stood up and walked over to Elizabeth. He reached down and offered his hands to help her off the swing.

When she was standing in front of Jack, he reached around his pregnant wife and pulled her closer to him.

"Sorry. This big belly won't let me get too close."

"This belly holds our baby, and it is the most beautiful thing there is." Jack placed a passionate kiss on her lips."

"Careful officer. That's how we got this one."

"It's Chief."

"Let's go and get those kids of ours clean."

"Do you think TJ will stay clean?" He laughed knowing full well he will probably get dirty in his sleep.

"No, but at least my little girl will stay clean for a while."

After an adventurous and a very wet bath, the little ones were in their bedroom. Each had their own little bed in the room.

TJ looked at his mom, "Ma, would you please tell us a story?"

"Sure, young man. What would you two like to hear?"

"The story of when you meet daddy."

Elizabeth shook her head. "I told you that last night. Aren't you two tired of hearing that story?"

"No mommy. It's a great story. Especially the time when daddy was afraid of you." The little girls snickered.

"Oh…well, that is my favorite part too." Laughed Elizabeth.

"You know, I wasn't afraid of you." Jack stated walking into the room.

"Daddy," The little girl stated with the same scary teacher face as her mother. "Mommy scared you this morning when she walked into the kitchen."

Jack laid down beside his daughter wrapping her in a hug. "You saw that did you?" Then tickled her a little.

"Yes daddy. I saw it too." Added TJ.

Jack leaned toward Elizabeth. "Might as well begin with the story. They need to get to sleep. You know, that story gets better each time you tell it." He smirked.

"Jack Thorton, what a thing to say."

"You know, you are adorable when you do that."

The little ones began to laugh at their parents.

"On the second day your daddy was in town, he avoided coming to my classroom because he was afraid that I would be mean to him again. Chief Avery asked me to be nice to him. That he couldn't have a detective and future police chief to be afraid of a little, innocent school teacher."

…

Elizabeth woke up from her dream with her phone buzzing. She reached for her belly and only felt a little baby bump. She realized it was the dream she has been having. "Why don't I know my daughter's name?" She asked herself as she reached for the phone. She noticed Jack's picture on the screen.

"Hey Bumblebee. Are you ok?"

"Well, I was until I heard that." He sighed. "Why do you still remember that?"

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. Did I wake you?"

"Yeah, but I needed to get up anyways. I have been asleep for a couple of hours."

"You needed to sleep. You are growing two babies. That has to be exhausting work."

"Well, I can tell they are beginning to make me tired, but I don't think it's the babies that are making me sleepy."

"Yeah." Jack smiled at the memories from last night's activities. "That was a great night."

"It was." She smiled at reminiscing.

"I probably won't be home for a while."

"Ok. Thanks for letting me know."

"We had an attempted kidnapping earlier. We have a lead, and we are trying to track down the suspect."

"Oh, my goodness. Is everything ok?"

"Yes. I would like to go and visit with them tomorrow. Would you be able to go with me?"

"Yes. I will rearrange my schedule to make it work." She smiled knowing he liked having her with him. She felt like they were a true team.

"We will work around your schedule. We can go after you are done with your classroom for the day. Maybe grab lunch after?"

"I want to go with you, but is it proper for me to go with you?"

"I'm the chief, I think I can make the rule." He smirked.

"You're not the chief yet." She smirked back.

He smiled at her joking. This was the first true smile since the attempted kidnapping. "I would love for you to be with me when I visit them. We are a team and I think you would be a valuable resource for them, and me."

"Me and you."

"Yes, Nani. Me and you."