Chapter 22

The four bodyguards settled around the conference room in the office of a local private investigator. None of them looked very happy. Their current assignment was proving far more difficult than any of them had anticipated. Frowning, Rock asked, "What did you find out about the homeless folks?"

"Fat Fred is a protégé of Happy Harry. As far as I know, there's nothing to worry about with regard to him. He'll keep the other homeless under control," answered Derrick Grant with a shrug.

"Happy Harry is a Druid, right?" asked Colt.

"Yes."

Making reference to Lucy's habit of handing out coupons for meals at local fast food places to every homeless person she encountered, Natalie said, "I don't like the fact that she's always talking to the homeless. I don't care who Happy Harry is, but it isn't safe for a young woman like her to talk with homeless folks like that."

Happy for a change that she had the night shift, Nicole said, "All you can do is be ready for anything."

Derrick interrupted, "Don't worry about the homeless. Your clients have a lot of friends among that crowd."

"How do you know that?"

Laughing, Derrick said, "I asked two of them questions about your clients and the next thing I know, there's twenty of them surrounding me and wanting to know why I was so interested in them. Less than ten minutes had passed between talking to the first guy and the rest of them showing up. I've never seen anything like it. I didn't even know that we had that many homeless in this town."

"What do you suggest?" Cole looked at the private investigator thoughtfully as recollections of Sherlock Holmes and his Baker Street Irregulars came to mind.

"If I were you, I'd develop some good contacts in that crowd. You'll be surprised at what they can tell you about what is going on."

The four bodyguards exchanged glances at that piece of advice. Putting the man to the test, Rock asked, "Would you give Ling that advice?"

The private investigator blanched, but answered, "Yes, I would. I'd tell her to make friends with Fat Fred."

"When we get her on the conference call, you can tell her that yourself," said Nicole.

"Okay."

"What about the woman at the college?" Natalie asked. That was the threat she was the most concerned would become real.

"I did a thorough background investigation on her. Here's the file," Derrick said as he pushed a folder across the table. The expression on his face wasn't encouraging.

Natalie picked it up and looked over the contents. Frowning, she said, "She came from a broken home. There are rumors she was molested by her stepfather."

Derrick said, "She's got a juvenile record, but we can't get to it — it's sealed by the court. I hired a firm to ask some questions in her old neighborhood. They say that she was picked up for shoplifting, passing bad checks, and possession of marihuana. Some of the kids that knew her said that she was a bully."

"Shit, that's not good," said Nicole. She leaned forward resting her elbows on the table with her arms crossed. She frowned as she reflected on the news. It worried her that William had made a special effort to tell her that Missy would be a problem.

Rock growled and said, "Those two aren't even eighteen years old. No damn reason they should have people around them like that."

"William is worried about her," Colt said.

"I'm not sure if that is good or bad. He's got a fucking bird watching the next door neighbor," said Rock. He was regretting taking this job more than ever.

Derrick said, "Don't underestimate William. His name among Native Americans is Talks With Animals. They believe that he can actually talk to animals."

That wasn't news to the four bodyguards, although the bird was the first example they had seen of anything to that effect. Rock said, "One shotgun blast and that bird is dead."

Pushing the last folder across the table, Derrick said, "Here's the background on the neighbors. The husband is an attorney and is currently living with his mistress. She's some sort of Dominatrix and makes a bunch of money at it. Apparently, he's really into that scene."

"Whatever turns his crank," said Nicole. At the look from Rock, she grinned and added, "Does the idea of getting beat up by a woman with a whip turn your crank?"

"Not really."

Derrick ignored the little exchange and said, "The wife has all of the money in the family. She inherited about ten million from her parents. I have no idea why she hasn't divorced the husband."

Colt asked, "What about the guy in South Dakota?"

"I haven't gotten a report on him, yet," answered Derrick not wanting to have to report that to Ling. Running a complete background investigation in a small town without having the target know it was happening was a lot more difficult than doing the same thing in the big city. A man who asked questions in a small town ended up getting a lot of questions asked in return.

Dreading the conference call with Ling, Natalie said, "This has been the longest ten days of my life."

"We can't put it off much longer. She's waiting for us to call her," said Colt.

While the bodyguards were briefing Ling on the events of the past week, William and Lucy were supposed to be at home. They were under strict orders not to leave the house. Of course, the couple had taken the opportunity to drive into town for a treat at a local ice cream parlor. As they sat in one of the chairs, Lucy said, "They're going to be mad at us."

"I know."

"You're driving them crazy," said Lucy with a grin.

"I'm sure they are telling my mother all about it," William said. He asked, "So how do you enjoy having a bodyguard?"

"I was really glad that she was there when I ran into Missy," answered the young woman. She would never forget the look of raw unbridled hatred Missy had given her.

"Yeah, I'm worried about Missy," William admitted. He was silent for a moment and then said, "Don't forget that you have friends here in case something ever happens."

"Friends?"

"Happy Harry's people," answered William.

"Oh." Having met most of them through William, she tended to think of them as his friends. She was always amazed when some homeless person she had never met addressed her as Lucy Diamonds. She kind of liked it when they called her by that name, since it was so much better than the nicknames the kids in high school had used for her.

William took a sip of his milkshake and gestured to her little paper cup containing a single dip of vanilla ice cream. He said, "We have to finish before Ling calls to yell at me."

She laughed and ate a spoonful of her ice cream. The weekly calls from Ling had become a joke between them. The appearance of a bag lady coming into the ice cream parlor caught her attention. The woman approached and, in a voice filled with fear, said, "'cuse me, but you're Half Feather and Lucy Diamonds, ain't ya?"

William turned and looked at the woman taking in her tattered clothes and dirty appearance. She looked as if she was terrified to talk to them. Nodding, he said, "Yes. How can I help you?"

The woman licked her lips nervously and said, "I was locked up earlier this week in the local... Where I was don't matter none. Well, maybe it does. I was in jail if'n ya needs to know. While I was in 'dere, some woman was really talkin' nasty 'bout Lucy Diamonds. She was talkin' 'bout hirin' someone to hurt her real bad."

"Was her name Missy?" asked William in a soft voice intended to diminish her fear.

"That's the one. Real hateful woman, she is."

"Thank you for telling us," William said in a soft voice. She looked scared as if she were a rabbit surrounded by a pack of dogs. He asked, "Would you care for some ice cream?"

The woman looked around and noticed the other customers staring at her. She was used to stares. Lots of people stared at her while she was pushing her shopping cart around. Just because she was used to it, didn't mean she was comfortable with it. She said, "Tain't really the place for a person the likes a' me."

"Nonsense, everyone likes ice cream. We'd really like for you to join us," William said getting up and holding a chair out for her. "What would you like?"

Embarrassed by the gesture and unwilling to create a scene by refusing, the woman sat down in the offered chair. After a moment of hesitation, she said, "Well, I'll take a bowl of ice cream, jus' like Lucy Diamonds is havin'."

"Wait right here and I'll return with it in minute. Vanilla?"

"Chocolate if they got it," answered the woman. She looked down as if afraid that she had made an unreasonable demand. She actually shivered.

As William went to the counter to get a scoop of chocolate ice cream, Lucy turned to the woman and said, "We haven't met. I'm Lucy."

"I'm Just Jan," answered the bag woman knowing who Lucy was. Everyone on the street talked about the woman who handed out coupons for food to anyone who asked.

"Jan, it's nice to meet you."

"It's Just Jan," replied the woman. She'd gotten her nickname when she had first started living on the street by insisting that everyone call her just Jan. Before she knew it, everyone was calling her Just Jan. After a while, that was who she had become — Just Jan. Glancing at William as he waited in line, she asked, "Is Half Feather always this nice?"

"I'm the wrong one to ask. I think he's nice all the time," Lucy answered with a smile.

"Imagine, him pullin' out a chair for the likes o' me. He's a right gentleman, he is," said Just Jan. The idea that someone like him would take notice of her was too much to believe. She paused to watch William order her chocolate ice cream. She turned back to face Lucy and said, "You're such a pretty little thing. Hate to think of that horrible woman hurtin' ya. You take care of yourself, ya' hear me?"

"I appreciate the warning," Lucy said.

"You or Half Feather ever need somethin', you tell Just Jan. I'll help ya, don'cha worry about that. I've become much more 'sponsible now. I been takin' my meds for a year wit'out fail," the old woman said gesturing with her finger in the air.

"I'll remember that, Just Jan." She wondered what required her to take medication and then realized that it was probably a mental disorder. Her heart was breaking thinking about the woman being forced to live on the streets because of a chemical imbalance in her brain.