“Sure, sure. But if the men upstairs in the carpeted offices get wind of them, and word leaks into city hall, etcetera, somebody may start examining your methods with the thoroughness of a proctologist. In which case, you’ll need all the friends you can get.” He let that settle, then smiled. “I came to tell you, you can count on me. I’ll always be at your back, on your side, Tom.”
“I know that. Don’t think I don’t—”
“Unless…” The ogre moved his feet, and the chair rocked forward so far that he was leaning over Tom. “Unless the heat around you gets too hot. And you start thinking—See, Tom, I know how your mind works.
“And you start thinking that you need a fall guy, someone to blame for your…” His meaty hand drew a spiral in the air. “Malpractice, mishandling… mismanagement… mis…” The hand stopped spiraling and landed like an anvil on Tom’s thigh. “Let’s call a spade a spade. Your misdeeds.”
Tom swallowed hard. The ogre smacked his chewing gum, then lifted his hand away from Tom’s leg and hauled himself out of the rocking chair. “Have a good night.”
Inside his pajamas, Tom had broken a cold sweat. He stopped the ogre at the door. “Listen, Frank, you have my loyalty, too. I would never throw you under the bus.”
Frank grinned. “Tom, where your future is concerned, I’m the bus.”
Chapter 15
When John opened the door of the cabin, Mutt scurried past him to be the first one inside to join the party.
Beth and Mitch were in the kitchen. She was laughing at something he was saying while he juggled oranges. Apparently they’d taken a break from putting away groceries. Still on the dining table were canned goods, boxes of brand-name food, a pallet of bottled water, a packet of Mutt’s treats, and sacks yet to be emptied.
The whole scene pissed John off. He slammed the door.
Both turned at the sound. Beth’s laughter ended abruptly. Mitch dropped one of the oranges. After a moment of silence that seemed to reverberate, Mitch bent down to pick up the orange, and Beth welcomed an ecstatic Mutt with a scratch behind his ears.
As John stalked in, he removed his slicker and threw it into the chair with the ugly throw. “An army led by Tom Barker could have marched up here, and you wouldn’t have heard it.” Addressing Mitch, he said, “You should have had your weapon ready for whoever came through the door. You’re damn lucky it was me.”
Beth stared in shock over his tone. Mitch looked amused, which further infuriated him.
“I heard you coming,” Mitch said. “I knew it was you. And my gun is within arm’s reach.” He pointed to the shelf where John had placed his own pistol last night.
He blinked to clear his eyes of a red haze of anger. For the time being, that’s how he was going to label the surge of emotion, and blood pressure, he’d felt when he’d walked in on such a lighthearted domestic scene.
“Was everything at your house all right?” Beth asked.
“If anybody’s been there since I left it this morning, I couldn’t tell it. How’d you two do?”
“I made certain no one followed us,” Mitch said. “I left my pickup at the camo garage. Took us two trips to cart all this stuff here.” He motioned toward the crowded dining table.
John walked over to it. In addition to the grocery sacks, white plastic bags had been piled in a chair. He flipped back the handles of one. Inside were articles of women’s clothing.
“I’ll pay you back what I spent on the credit card,” Beth said. “I didn’t bring that many changes of clothes with me, and most of them were—”
“It’s fine.”
“I took the liberty to create us a workspace.” Her laptop had been placed next to his. “I’m ready to begin whenever you are, but I need to call Max first.”
“Sure. But better if you don’t make any more calls on your own phone.”
“I figured that. Mitch removed the battery for me.”
John could hardly feel sour toward Mitch for taking that precaution. He walked over to the drawer of phones, got one out, and passed it to Beth. She thanked him and headed toward the bedroom.
Mitch said, “Hey, I’ve got to be pushing off, so I’ll say goodbye now.”
She smiled and extended her right hand to him. “Thank you for the ride, for getting me here safely, for everything.”
“You bet.”
“Angela sounds lovely. Good luck with the baby.”
“Thanks. Take care of yourself.”
“You too.” To John she said, “I won’t be long.” She went into the bedroom and closed the door behind her.
A rare and awkward silence extended between the two friends; then Mitch gestured toward the refrigerator. “I got you a six-pack.”
John look toward the appliance. “Thanks for the thought, but from here forward I need to keep a clear head.”
Mitch waited for a count of five, then said, “Look, John—”
“Don’t say it.”
“What?”
“What you were going to say.”
“Oh, so you’re a mind reader now?”