Chapter 11

“I have to go back to the office. All hands on deck. You’re safe though, no one knows about your private cabin. Remember, do not trust anyone and only answer the door for me. Or your dad.” Jovis called Mr. Steele from her cruiser radio as she left.

“Detective! My god that ring scared me, I have news!”

“Jest, my boy, I have to get off the phone-”

“But Miss Birdy remembers the old Rhoades cabin!”

“Jest I’m hanging up!” Mr. Steele could hear the stress and exhaustion in Jovis’ voice. She never called him Jest unless she was high strung. He slowly hung up the phone, feeling sorry for his aunt and hoping all this mess would come to an end soon.

When he looked up he saw Birdy standing at the kitchen counter, eating off one of the plates and looking like she was thoroughly enjoying the meal as if she had never eaten before in her life. It made him feel a sense of pride in his cooking skills.

“You like it?” He asked as he took a spot opposite of her with the counter between them. Noting that she had taken the plaet woth the two eggs, and leaving him with the single egg put caused him to chuckle. Not what he had planned, but maybe she was hungrier than he had anticipated. Birdy nodded, and continued to enjoy the well made food. The two ate in silence, only the sounds of enjoyment and lip-smacking between them.

A knock on the door disrupted Mr. Steele as he was getting dressed. No one should be there. Jovis had left not that long ago and the only other family that had property close by was gone for the season. No one should be there.

Mr. Steele made his way out of his room, he made sure he had Birdy in his line of sight, bringing a finger to his lips. Birdy nodded, staying clear of the window even though the curtains were drawn blocking any view of the inside from any onlookers. Mr. Steele made his way to the door quietly, looking out the peep-hole and saw Patrick.

Pausing while gripping the doorway, Mr. Steele began to question this turn of events. Why was Patrick there? No one knew about this place, and given that Birdy had been spooked by someone among the ranks of the enforcers he knew Jovis wouldn’t have said anything to anyone at the station, not even her supervisor would know this location, just that the person of interest was at a safehouse. Patrick shouldn’t be there.

The door shook with Patrick knocking again, a little louder this time. Mr. Steele quietly stepped back, he motioned for Birdy to stay quiet and follow him. Birdy complied, she tip-toed her way to stand next to Mr. Steele, taking his hand in her own and following his lead to the back of the cabin.

The two had made it to the kitchen, staying low and out of sight of the open windows in the back, when the knocking at the front door stopped. This was supposed to be his safehouse, his retreat from the madness of the world beyond the hill. He didn’t invest in much security here, no one really did beyond a shot-gun to keep bears and other large predators away. Mr. Steele didn’t even have a pistol. This was not good.

He hoped that Patrick had just left, reasoning that no answer meant no one was there. He didn’t have time to think of anything else before he felt a sharp pain in the back of his head, and everything around him went black.

Patrick had made his way around to the back entrance rather swiftly, the door was unlocked, and the two occupants of the cabin were facing the front while making their way to the back, it was too easy. He dispatched of Mr. Steele with ease, and then grabbed a hold of Birdy’s wrist, twisting it and pulling her closer, “Does it bring back any memories my precious girl? Or should I call you Birdy?”

Birdy squealed in pain and stared at Patrick, terror in her eyes and tears running down her face. Despite the fear she felt, she held Magnum Opus back, even Birdy knew the true danger of the man who held her with such unbearable strength. She protested the whole time he pulled her to his concealed cruiser. She was his once more, and he would have, or kill, his true Magnum Opus.

Jovis tried to rub the exhaustion from her face as her cruiser idled in the station’s parking lot. She had been up all night trying to keep up-to-date on what was going on with the prison riot, the two opposing sides were at a stalemate. She was also deprived of sleep for the reason of keeping an eye on Mr. Steele’s house in the woods. She wanted to be certain no one followed them there, being a naturally chary person she always kept an eye on the rearview.

Now back at the station she would have to report about what was going on with Birdy to her supervisor, and debrief Patrick as well. She needed something to help wake her up as this was actually the second night in a row she missed out on a restful night.

Yes, she was permitted time to ensure she wasn’t overworking, off the clock and away from the station, but paranoia and anxiety were two beasts that never left her mind. The job kept her up at night, and recent events only compounded on her feeling of urgency and inadequacy as a detective.

Finally she made her way into the station, noting the buzz and frenzy was at higher levels. With the riot going on it was an all hands on deck situation. She made her way to her supervisor’s office.

The visit with her supervisor was brief, something Jovis was grateful for, as she was leaving she asked if Patrick was at the station yet as she hadn’t seen him in his office when she passed it.

“Patrick? No, he said he had to follow up on something at the old Rhoades cabin.” That was a strange coincidence, her nephew said something about the Rhoades cabin too, that Birdy was apparently familiar with it? Did Patrick find out something about Birdy’s past and just not tell her yet? She almost felt hurt as she thought they were fairly close as partners.

It wasn’t until she got to her own desk that it dawned on her that there was only one family alive that would have any access to the location of Rhoades cabin, the only lawyers the Rhoades family trusted, the Steele family. Funny how old families tended to gravitate to utilize each other’s business.

The more she thought about it all, the worse a feeling she got in her gut. The young Mr. Steele also said something about Birdy being distrustful of the enforcers the night previous, and this seemed to come out of nowhere, or rather, shortly after the interaction with Patrick. Had something happened?

Deep in her instinctive mind alarms were blaring. Something wasn’t right, and Patrick had something to do with it, Birdy was integral to it, now where the hell did Jester Lazlo fit in it all, or was he just a lucky catch? Jovis didn’t put stock into blind luck, and she didn’t quite like coincidences either.

’This has got to be the most uncomfortable piece of shit I have ever had the displeasure of using... ‘ Jester’s mood was souring more and more as he made his way to the cabin. He had had to stop at a gas station for directions, and that was nerve wracking enough wondering if he would be recognized.