Chapter 59

“What do you mean?” asked Brenda.

“That another woman would come and steal his heart.”

“And what if she wants to share, like we do?”

“Bren, I could probably live with that if she was as good a person as you. Unfortunately, they don’t look like two people who’ve just met.”

“You might be right, sister, but let’s not hang either of them without a trial.” With that Brenda grabbed Maria by the arm and approached Hawk and the beautiful blonde, who were still softly talking to each other. While they walked Maria noted the girl was almost as tall as Hawk, but slender. So slender, she almost looked undernourished or anorexic.

Hawk caught the movement in his peripheral vision and looked at his two approaching wives. When he did he smiled- a smile that displayed not a look of guilt, but an obvious look of pride. Maria and Brenda immediately picked up on this look, and all doubt and jealousy seemed to melt away. As the two continued forward, both walked a little taller and displayed a lot more confidence. Still holding the blonde’s hands Hawk introduced Maria and Brenda as his co-wives, and explained, “I knew Kimmie when she was around eight or nine. In fact, I’d occasionally baby sit for her mother.”

“When was this?” Brenda asked.

“When I was in my first year at Stanford. If I remember correctly Kimmie’s dad was at sea and Sharon, Kimmie’s Mom, was working on her degree. They lived in the next building, and I met Kimmie in the grassy area between the buildings. She was the oldest kid in the area and I was the youngest student. We were both lonely and bored, and over time a strong friendship developed.”

“But, with your changes, how did she recognize you?”

“I was so surprised to see her I called her name.”

To this the young blonde added, “And John was the only one to ever call me Kimmie.”

Maria interjected, “And, I bet hearing that voice and seeing a face that didn’t match kinda shook you up.”

“That’s not the half of it, as I was hearing the voice of a dead man.”

Brenda was concerned, and in a low voice asked, “So, you know about his trial and the subsequent events.”

Squeezing Hawk’s hands, Kimberly replied, “I’ve had a crush on this man since I was eight. There’s no way his trial and death would’ve escaped me. Now, I do have one crucial question, was he guilty?”

Brenda answered, “Kimmie, my Aunt was the Warden at the prison. She provided enough evidence to the Governor to reopen the case, but for political reasons she denied it. Before Aunt Beth and the others who were helping could go further John was ‘Dead.’“

“I want to hear more about this death and resurrection, along with the origin of this new face. Unfortunately, my immediate need is to find Mike Running Elk, who’s supposed to introduce me to my new family. I’m sure once I’m settled, we can talk more, but I do need the three of you to forget I’m Kimmie.”

Finally putting it all together Hawk laughed while he said, “Well, Miss No Name, meet your new family. I’m Robert Gray Hawk, known as Hawk, and these are my two wives, Maria and Brenda. Maria is the granddaughter of Jason Magill.”

“The old man on the airplane?”

Hawk replied, “I would suspect so, especially if Mike Running Elk is involved. Now, let me see if I can find him.”

Hawk used a speed dial number on his cell phone. “This is Mike.”

“Mike, this is Hawk. Did you lose a long, tall blond in black and pink?”

“Yes. She’s the one you’re to hide on the ranch.”

“Then, we’ve got her. I knew her years ago.”

“Good. I just checked on Longbow, but they don’t know anything additional at the moment. With your friend taken care of I think I’ll take this growth I’ve acquired to lunch. Ouch, you hit hard, woman. Hawk, I’ll explain later, but I’ve got to go. Please call me when you know more about the old man.”

Hawk stared at the phone, and asked, “Growth he’s acquired?” Kimmie giggled and explained about Jan. She had all three of her new family members ‘in stitches’ before she was through.

Hawk / John’s ex-wife, Candice Brockman, in the guise of Sharon Masterson, entered the Manhattan apartment, slamming the door behind her. She threw the envelope she’d been carrying onto the coffee table and headed for the bar. She mumbled curses under her breath as she poured a small amount of orange juice and a large amount of Vodka into a glass of ice. After quickly downing the drink she made another and headed for the sofa. There she reopened the envelope and read the letter for the fifth time. Regrettably, no matter how much she wished otherwise, the wording was still the same, she’d been charged with fraud and theft for not informing her lawyer or the court concerning the prenuptial agreement between her and John. What was worse, her attorney had sent the first letter informing her of the problem to the mail drop box she’d designated, but he had no idea of her other identity and she’d been out of the country. He had done everything he was supposed to do, but her scheming and making sure there was no trail to follow had actually backfired. When she didn’t answer the summons she was tried in absentia and found guilty. Thus, instead of being able to claim it was an oversight and pay the money back to the estate she was now a convicted felon and a fugitive from justice. Also, since she’d been traveling under an assumed name she couldn’t even use the excuse of being out of the country to have the case re-opened. Should she call William, she pondered? Was there something her brother Stephan could do? Thinking of William, how would he react to this entire mess? Would her husband even care, as he seemed to have no desire to come back to the states after they’d murdered his brother and placed the blame on John? Speaking of John, what should she do about Constance Taylor and Melissa? That was a loose end that probably needed to be resolved. By the time she finished the second drink she’d calmed down a bit. Beginning to think more rationally she fixed a much weaker ‘screwdriver’ and called her brother.

“Hello.”

“Hi, Stephan, it’s your sister.”

“And which sister is that? The one who had me falsify lab tests, the one who had me drug her ex-husband, the one who got me to kill that same ex-husband, or the sister who’s disappeared for the past several months without even telling me where she was going.”

“Oh, Stephan. Don’t be like that!”

“Candy, I can’t help it. There’s been a lot of shit in the news about you and this prenup agreement, and I’ve been anticipating a knock on my door at any time.”

“But, who knows you’re my brother?”

“That ditz, Constance Taylor, for one.”

“Well, that’s a loose end we’re about to remove, along with that brat I got stuck with. How are you doing for money?”

“I could always use money, but I like the idea of clearing up the loose end even more. As for knowledge of our relationship, except for Connie and William, I can’t think of any additional physical evidence of a family link. Of course, that excludes old high school yearbooks buried in people’s homes somewhere. Everything else was destroyed in the fires set by those drunken teens in the old courthouse and the high school. That was one of your coolest moves.”

“Yes, and it was easy to convince them they were a demolition crew hired to bring down some condemned buildings. I think that was the first real use of the R-forty-three-X you developed.”

“You’re right, it was the first real use. Everything before that was simply a ‘bark like a dog’ type of thing.”

“Yes, but those early pranks were a lot of fun.”

“They were for us, though I doubt our victims thought so. So, how do we handle Constance?”

“I was thinking about an auto accident?”

“I don’t know, Sis. We got lucky with John, but I don’t think it would be the best plan. There’s too many ways the victim could survive. An attempted robbery or drive-by shooting in an isolated gang area might be better.”

“How about a robbery at an ATM?”

“With a costume and spraying the camera, that might work. We just need to know what bank she uses.”

“I can find out when I call.”

“Just let me know when and where this deal is to go down, and I’ll try to locate a suitable gun to use; especially one that can’t be traced back to me.”

“Good. In the meantime, I’m going to start liquidating all of my US assets. William will want to know why, and he may bitch about selling this prestigious apartment, but I’m not sure we’re going to be able to return here.”

“Why just your assets, Sis?”

“Because everything’s in my name, or at least that of my alias.”

“I understand, Sis, but how will I see you again?”

“There’s no reason you can’t come for a visit once things have blown over.”

“That’s true, and Sis, remember your situation isn’t nearly as bad as it could be, considering all the deaths that have been caused by your hand.”

“In a strange way, that does ease my mind some. Thanks brother, I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Candice hung up the phone and looked at her watch. Deciding it was too early to call Constance she began the liquidation process by contacting her investment broker. When she finished with him, she would begin contacting real estate agents in various locations.

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The Hawk and the Chipmunk

Mike Lowe aka The Scot

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