The Fighter Within. B. Cochrane Clark
laughed. “Oh please tell me you are not afraid of that sweet young gal?”
“Hell yes, I am! You have no clue, she is all sugar and spice until you piss her off, then you better look the hell out and hold onto your britches. I am a smart man, I only piss her off when I really want to see her riled up. That way I get great make-up sex. But she’s stressed to the gills right now with the wedding, so I’m thinking now is not the time.”
“Well, stop worrying about it. I have been ready and waiting on your slow ass. I’m at the station, just meet me here, we will head over together, sound good?”
“Sure does, I’ll be there in ten. Talk to you then,” Jake said as he hung up the phone.
Logging out of his computer, Cody couldn’t help but wonder what had made him think about that night. Shit, it had to be almost a year ago when that happened. He had periodically thought about it before, more so right after, but it had been awhile since he had thought about it. “Must be because it’s the same time of year,” Cody mumbled to himself.
Jake pulled up in front of the station in his maroon Dodge truck just as Cody stepped out of the building. As he climbed into his friend’s truck, Cody smirked and said, “See, you barely even had to stop. Now you better floor this beast so that we’re not late.”
“You’ll see. One day, you will have someone you care about and then you’ll know what I’m talking about.” Jake laughed as he backed out of his parking spot and headed toward the caterers.
“Where are we going anyway? Who is catering this little shindig of yours?”
“A friend of Tess’s mother, Susan Montgomery. She has a small catering business, but from what I hear, it’s only small because she wants it that way. People rave about her food. We are lucky to have an in with her, because she is usually booked out quite a ways. Evelyn was able to sweet-talk her into adding this to her schedule,” Jake bragged.
“What kind of food are we talking about here? Dainty finger sandwiches and vegetable trays, or real food?”
“No finger sandwich crap, we are talking real food. We are going to have barbecue food of some sort. We will figure out what exactly today.”
“Barbecue? Are you serious? Tess is going to allow you to have all that mess when she, and everyone else for that matter, are dressed up in their best.” Cody looked at Jake like he had lost his mind.
“Shit, Jackson, barbecue is Tessa’s idea. She is a Montana girl, don’t forget. Grew up on steak, brisket, burgers, and ribs, and that’s just naming a few. She also loves to hunt and fish, eat wild game, and, hell, she even helps butcher it. She might be cute and dainty, but she is no delicate flower.” Jake was grinning ear to ear as he talked about his soon-to-be wife.
“Well, shit, this little food-tasting trip might not be so bad after all,” Cody chuckled.
“So, how’s your case going anyway?” Jake asked.
“It’s going slower than I would like.” He and Andrews spent all day yesterday combing through bank, phone, and DMV records. Their bank records didn’t show anything abnormal. Limited income, phone bills, cable TV bill, city water, and sewer and electric bills every month. Really kind of boring. Phone call log was about the same—calls to work, each other, and a few random places. Their DMV records had shown they moved here three years ago, with no ties that they could find to the area. “They moved here from Fresno, California, and for the life of me, I can’t figure out why,” Cody said.
“Seems strange, but then again, you moved here from New York City. I mean, really, if we are talking about strange moves,” Jake added.
“That’s true enough, except all my mom’s family is from here. So after my dad died, she had no real reason to stay there and every reason to come back home.”
“True.” Jake nodded in agreement.
“One thing I cannot shake is that house.” They hadn’t found any mortgage payments; it looked like they owned it free and clear and with such a limited income that had Cody stumped. “It really is a nice house, historically old but renovated. From what we found, the last owners restored the house back to what it originally looked like. But there is something else about that house. I just can’t figure out what.”
“What do you mean?”
“Honestly, I’m not even sure, it’s just a gut feeling. I need to find out more on that home.”
“You know who would be great to ask about the house? Sydney.”
“Tessa’s sister?” Cody gave Jake a look like he had lost his marbles.
“Yes, Tessa’s sister, and don’t look at me that way. She loves history, especially old structures. She even studied it in college.”
“I guess, maybe, if I can’t get this figured out on my own.”
“Well, you might keep it in mind. She’s really sharp, especially when it comes to stuff like that.” Jake pulled up in front of a beautiful but rather small log home. “We’re here, and it looks like we beat the girls here. Score one for us,” Jake boasted, looking pretty proud of himself.
“I didn’t realize we were racing. If I knew that we could have taken my squad car and I could have thrown the lights and sirens on.” Cody smirked.
“I know you’re joking, but I’m keeping that in mind for next time,” Jake said as they both stepped out of the truck and headed up to Susan’s house.
Just as they were getting ready to knock, the sound of another vehicle pulling into the driveway had them both turning to see Tessa and her sister. Jake’s smile was comical, like a child who got away with the cookie he stole from the candy jar while his mother was busy cooking dinner. Tessa and Sydney climbed out of older Ford truck with what looked like a fairly new bright-red paint job. “What took you two gals so long? Having a little engine trouble with that pretty Ford of yours, Sydney?”
“Aw, Jake, don’t you wish. This baby runs better than the day they drove it off the assembly line.”
“It’s a damn good thing your dad is such a good mechanic and has taught you well, otherwise I would have to come tow that Ford home.” Jake razzed Sydney more for the fun of it than anything else. He knew that was a well-tuned truck, but he wasn’t really lying when he said Sydney and her dad were the reason it ran so well.
“The only way this baby would be stalled on the side of the road is if I let you drive it. You would probably forget to put fuel in it and then you would have to call me to come save you.”
“All right, are you two done yammering at each other?” Tessa interrupted. “I’m sure Susan is wondering what we’re doing hanging out in her front yard and not coming in.” She did love that they got along so well; their bantering was always in good fun.
“Yes, honey, we are all ready and waiting… I believe waiting on the two of you to get here. Yep, I’m sure of it, Cody and I had to sit here and wait forever for your slow butts.” Jake winked at his soon-to-be wife as he grabbed her hand and pulled her in for what was supposed to be a quick kiss, but with the love that radiated between them, a quick kiss wasn’t in their vocabulary.
“Okay, okay, break it up!” Sydney said. “I don’t know about anyone else, but I am dying to see what Susan has made up for us to try. By the way, since these two obviously have no manners, I’ll introduce myself. I’m Tessa’s sister, Sydney.” She held out her hand to shake Cody’s.
Cody had been watching their banter with amusement. The woman Jake had described as pretty had been misrepresented. The woman in front of him was not just your typical pretty. She was breathtakingly beautiful, with light brown hair that looked as if it had flakes of gold when the sun hit it just right and cascaded long and straight down her back. She had the most striking mahogany-colored eyes and was taller than her sister, but not by much, a couple inches maybe. Her smile so soft and inviting,