Missouri in a Suitcase ~ Chapter Five

A Chapter by WeekendWriter

Chapter Five

As soon as she was able to get Tommy fed and outside, she made the phone call that the mere thoughts of kept her up all night.

“Joplin Police, do you have an emergency?”

“No I don’t. My name is Lizabeth Porter and I understand that you’re investigating my father’s murder. Is there someone I can speak to about it?” She did her best to keep her tone even, not wanting him to hear the tension in her voice.

“Hold, please.”

She waited for what seemed to be a very long time when finally a soft-spoken male voice greeted her.

“Hello, Ms Porter. My name is Sergeant Harris. How can I help you?”

“Hello.” She drew a breath and began, “I received a call yesterday from my Uncle Bob Porter’s attorney and learned that my uncle had been arrested for the murder of my father. I was wondering if you could tell me exactly what evidence you had to arrest him on.”

“First, Ms. Porter, I realize how hard it is to hear that someone you love has been arrested for such a crime. However, regarding what evidence we have, I’m sorry, but that information is confidential, as the investigation is still under way.”

“I’m not asking for information on things that haven’t been made public, but my aunt told me that he had given a phony alibi, so I’m assuming that’s public knowledge, I was hoping that you could elaborate.”

“I’m sorry, Ms. Porter, but again, I’m not at liberty to discuss the details of the case. I know how stressful all of this must be, but I really can’t tell you anything more than your uncle’s lawyer or your aunt already has.” He paused long enough to clear his throat, and with a slightly more professional tone continued, “While I have you on the phone I would like to let you know that we will be in touch concerning our investigation. We have some questions concerning your uncle, your father and the circumstances surrounding his death.”

“Me?” She nearly lost what breath she had in her lungs. “Why would you have questions for me?”

“Ms. Porter, its all part of a standard homicide investigation. We need to ascertain all of the facts surrounding the deceased, his associates and business in order to resolve the case successfully. You do want that, don’t you? And, of course, your answers may be beneficial to your uncle’s defense.”

Suddenly annoyed with herself for thinking she could get any answers from him; she politely gave the officer her number and thanked him for talking with her.

Hanging up the phone, she slumped in her seat feeling defeated, confused and depressed. She was in a difficult situation. She couldn’t let her uncle pay for a crime he didn’t commit but she also couldn’t let them ruin Tommy’s life. He was in such a tremulous emotional state. She couldn’t imagine what it might do to him to have to face whatever punishment they gave children for such a crime if they were to know the role he played in their father’s death. If he could only speak, she might be a little more optimistic that he would have something to say that would help. However, thinking about it, if he wasn’t speaking, how could they know? There was no one else there, and no one even knew he had been present. The best thing to do was to forget about Tommy and concentrate on clearing her uncle. Although she was unaware of his reason for lying, she knew he had to have been somewhere. Now, she just had to find out where.

She sat at her computer in the hopes of taking her mind far from where it was. After answering several emails from friends back at the paper she had worked on, she opened her word processor and started a new document, sitting in silence, staring at the blank screen in front of her. The ideas in her head should have been enough to make this an easy task, but every time she sat down to write, she was at a loss for words. She managed to get a few phrases down, but her heart wasn’t into the mission at hand. The road between her mind and the keyboard seemed endless, with many diversions and detours along the way.

She was startled away from her empty thoughts—and inwardly appreciative for it—when a male voice broke through the deafening silence.

“Lizzy, sorry to bother you… I can see how hard at work you are.” Gabe said, offering her a mocking smile before continuing, “I was wondering if you and Tommy wanted to go for ice cream.”

Glad to have a legitimate excuse to shut the computer off and not feel guilty about it, she accepted his offer and told him that she had to find Tommy first.

“He’s with me. Something told me you’d say yes, so he’s already waiting in the truck.”

Not at all surprised, given all that had happened between the two the last few days, she looked herself over, remembering she had put on her worst tee shirt that morning and hadn’t bothered to take her hair out of the loose bun it was in.

“Would you mind giving me time to change my clothes? It’ll only take a second.”

In one swift move, he reached over and took hold of her hand, saying, “You look fine! Besides its only ice cream, not our wedding.”

Before she could stammer out a reply, he was leading her out the door. She knew that his remarks were in jest, characteristic of his jovial personality, but somehow they caused her temperature to raise a degree or two, making her feel uneasy, if not vulnerable.

Tommy had made it clear he wanted to sit by the door by refusing to move when she tried to get in. So, she reluctantly sat in between the two, the length of her thighs touching Gabes'. Normally, this may have gone unnoticed; but between his remark earlier and the way he saw right through her last night, she was feeling stirrings she would have given anything to ignore. Every time he’d reach for the shifter, she would turn her head toward Tommy, unable to hide the flush that spread like wildfire across her cheeks.

As the truck came to a stop in front of an old, run-down edifice, Gabe looked toward Tommy and said, “Ok little man, have at it!”

Tommy didn’t need a second invitation; he jumped from the truck and headed into the building, not concerning himself with the fact that they had not yet joined him. Looking down, Lizabeth noticed that he had surprisingly left his suitcase behind. As she stared down at the object, Gabe cautioned, as if reading her mind, “I know what you’re thinking, Lizzy, and I wouldn’t do it.”

Embarrassed by her thoughts, she lowered her head, and replied, “You don’t think I should be curious? He’s practically attached himself to that thing since our father died! Of course I’m more than a little interested to learn what he finds so important as to eat, sleep and practically bathe with it.”

Gabe took hold of her hand in a comforting gesture, and said, “I’m not saying you shouldn’t be curious. All I’m saying is that prying will only set back any progress you’ve made with him to this point. When he’s ready to share his secrets with you, he will and you won’t have to coerce him to do it. The sooner you can convince him that you don’t even notice that case much less wonder what’s in it, the sooner he’ll want to share it with you.”

Her blue eyes filled with tears, making her words bottle up in her throat. She took a minute before she began to speak, more to control her tears than to form words.

“I’ve prayed for Tommy to be brought back to me, and for whatever reasons, my prayers haven’t been answered. Every time I see that case, I can’t help but get the feeling that if I knew what was inside, I would know where to look to find him. I know that doesn’t make any sense, but it’s how I feel!”

He lifted her chin to meet his gaze, and replied, “Believe it or not, it makes perfect sense. You’ll accomplish a lot more in the end if you move at his pace. He’ll come around.” He paused a moment and, with a sudden change of emotion, said, “C’mon, let’s get some ice cream!”

She could only bring herself to nod as she slid out of the truck behind him.

Gabe did most of the talking on the way back, leaving her to her own thoughts, which were like a marching band playing loudly in her head, each a different instrument, playing a different note that resonated in her heart. Everything Gabe said made perfect sense; yet it was so hard to do what he said was best; the nearness of him was giving her unwanted palpitations and the twinkle in Tommy’s eyes—the bright spot that should have drowned out every other emotion.

When they returned to her house, Gabe suggested they go for a walk and he would show them a swimming hole that Tommy may enjoy for swimming and fishing. As they walked, he took hold of her hand, making no other reference to his action.

“I remember this.” The fond childhood memory caused her eyes to open wide.

“Yet you don’t remember me? Now I feel wounded!” She looked up at him to see the playful smile that dominated his face. “You must leave a more lasting impression than I do.” He gave her arm a slight swing as they continued to walk.

She didn’t acknowledge most of his remarks with a reply for fear of embarrassing herself, as often happened when too many of her own feelings came out. His being so in tune with her emotions made her uneasy. He seemed aware of every thought in her mind, every passion in her heart, and every dream and hope in her life. Normally, someone’s uninvited familiarity would have offended her, and more so if they took it upon themselves to give unsolicited advice. But somehow, where Gabe was concerned, it not only didn’t bother her, she was secretly grateful for it. He had a way of making light of the gloom that surrounded her life, never making a joke out of it or trivializing it. She was more content with her decision to confide in him, and was anxious for this evening to come.

As the sounds of rushing water grew closer, Gabe picked up his step to gain ground on Tommy. When he was in earshot of him, he yelled, “Hey little man, race you to the water! Last one in has to carry the other one back!”

Tommy turned to give Lizabeth a quick glance, seeking approval. She offered a slight nod of her head and that was all it took for him to start ripping off his clothes. When she realized that Gabe, too, was unbuttoning his pants, she turned her head, embarrassment painting shades of red across her face.

“You’re more than welcome to join us.” His tone was prodding, which only helped add to her embarrassment.

“I don’t think so; I’m not much of a swimmer.” Against her will, she couldn’t keep her words from faltering.

“C’mon Lizzy, are you forgetting, I remember you? It’s like riding a bike, which by the way, you do very well. You don’t forget how to swim.”

She knew he was waiting for her to admit that she was embarrassed but wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. Refusing to face him, she replied, “Well, I just ate so I’ll sit this one out. In case one of you gets cramps, there’ll be someone to save you!”

“Ok, but you don’t know what you’re missing; it’s going to get much hotter today.”

With that, he took several long strides and let out a yell as he jumped off the rock that sat high above the water.

If it weren’t for her modesty, she would have joined them. Watching them splash around, dunking each other, she became annoyed with herself for not being able to loosen up more. A year ago, she wouldn’t have thought twice about jumping in; but the incidents leading up to this point in her life had robbed her of her normally carefree nature. Sitting here now and watching them, she realized the serious outlook was self-inflicted and was making her old before her time.

Looking toward the heap of clothes Tommy had tossed in his effort to be first into the water; she saw the suitcase sitting there. It was going to take a conscious effort, but she thought it might be beneficial to take Gabe’s advice and forget the case even existed.

When Tommy emerged from the water, she was certain that Gabe wouldn’t be far behind so she busied herself, pretending to be interested in her surroundings, purposely keeping her eyes averted from the water. She heard the rustling of clothes and after detecting footsteps growing closer, she assumed they were through dressing and turned in their direction.

“You don’t know what you missed. When it hits ninety later, you’ll wish you had gone with us.”

“Yeah, well, if I had known we were coming here, I would have brought my suit. I couldn’t go in my underwear; it’d give Tommy the wrong idea.” Her smile and tone were both mocking.

Making scorching eye contact with her, Gabe replied, “I see you do have a lighter side.” Giving her an admiring once over, he added, “It does suit you.”

Trying to discourage her mind from the direction this was heading, and at a loss for words, she merely nodded and turned to conceal the blush that was forming on her ivory cheeks.

Once they returned to the house, she remembered that she had intended to invite him for dinner. She turned toward Gabe, and asked, “Do you have plans for dinner tonight?”

He smiled wryly at her, answering, “I guess I do… now.”

Amusement flickered in the eyes that met hers. She had to admit; there was something warm and enchanting in his humor that swept away her defenses.

Looking sheepishly at him, she admitted, “I’m not a very good cook. I thought maybe something on the grill; even I should be able to handle that.”

“I’m easy to please. Besides, I’m more of a dessert man myself.”

Her breath trapped in her throat, as she caught his irresistibly devastating grin telling her there was more to his remark than she first realized. She found herself torn between the ease of his carefree personality and the tension of his sexual innuendos.

“Well, I’m going to see what I can dig up for dinner.” She didn’t wait for a response, eager to escape the gaze that burned a hole into her.

Once inside the house, she began to give thought to how she was going to approach the subject of Tommy and the accident to Gabe later that evening. It wasn’t possible to tell him a portion of it without divulging the entire story; but she knew revealing everything would put her in a defenseless position. What if she told him too much to turn back and his demeanor changed? Although he usually put her at ease with his animated personality, he was still a police officer, sworn to uphold the law. Her heart grew heavy as she weighed her options.

As Gabe came from around the corner of the house, he displayed a look of mock surprise seeing Lizabeth staffing the grill.

“Looks like you know what you’re doing there.”

“They’re hotdogs, Gabe. Not much you can do to ruin them really.” She offered him a playful smile, knowing if she didn’t stay with them, she probably would ruin them. Before he could say anything, she added, “What’s Tommy up to?”

“He’s spending some quiet time in the shed.” Before she could reply, he continued, “I wasn’t invited so I figured I’d come play with you instead.”

Not able to stop the laugh that raced out of her mouth, she looked at him in disbelief and replied, “Are you always this forward? Is this your way of feeling me out or are you just teasing me?”

“Would it make a difference either way?” His expression was the most serious she had seen since arriving here.

“You shouldn’t talk to me like that unless you mean it like that.” Now she was the one with the flirtatious smile.

“How do you know I’m not serious?”

She searched his eyes for an answer. He was an attractive man, although not what she would call drop-dead gorgeous; but those eyes… she could get lost in those eyes!

“I don’t,” was the simplest and safest answer she could give.

She could feel the sexual magnetism that made him so self-confident, and found herself drawn to him like a magnet to steel. She could instinctively tell he was the type of man that craved excitement, even in everyday conversation.

Before he could take this discussion to the next level, she chimed in, “If you want to go get Tommy, dinner’s ready.”

She used the few minutes he was away to ease her heartbeat back to a normal rhythm. Whether he was serious or only toying with her, she saw it as a precarious situation where she was the only one who stood to get hurt.

Sitting down to eat, Tommy laid his suitcase on the bench next to him and a piece of paper on the table next to Gabe.

“What’s this?” He directed the question to Tommy, as he picked up the paper.

As Gabe studied the paper, the expression that crossed his face was one of pure astonishment, leaving his mouth slightly ajar.

“Did you draw this?”

Without hesitation, and with obvious pride shining in his eyes, Tommy nodded.

“This is remarkable! Lizzy, look at this!”

He handed her the paper but his eyes remained on Tommy, giving him a smile that let him know just how impressed he was.

Lizabeth handed the paper back to Gabe, turned her attention to Tommy, and said, “This one is great! You didn’t make my face look swollen like the last one. Good job kiddo!”

Unable to resist shifting the embarrassment he had placed on her previously, she turned to Gabe and added, “By the way, you look good in see through boxers.”

Turning back to her meal, and not looking for the response his face may have given away, she displayed a victorious smile of her own.

Letting her revel in triumph with no more than an acknowledging smile, he changed the subject, truly interested in the paper before him.

“I’m impressed! No, I’m more than impressed… I’m in awe! This is so lifelike; it looks exactly like it looked back at the swimming hole.”

Giving Tommy a smile of admiration, she turned her attention to Gabe.

“Our mother was an interior designer; she had flawless taste and a creative mind. I guess I got her creativity in the form of words, and Tommy got it in the ability to draw. He was better at five than I can draw now.”

“I’ll tell you what little man, there’s a place for you at the station. I could bring you in whenever we need the services of a sketch artist, you’d do a better job than the woman we have there now. She has a tendency to make everyone look like they’re on drugs.”

Tommy’s eyes were bright blue and Lizabeth knew that even though he couldn’t say how he felt, it was unmistakably pride.

With that, Tommy got up from the picnic table and headed back to the shed, leaving them alone.

“He truly has a talent, you know that don’t you?”

“He certainly does but he’s never seen it that way. He gets in his moods to draw one picture after another, but usually if you ask him to draw one, he won’t. As with everything else, he does it on his terms.”

Gabe had an idea, but knew he couldn’t discuss it with her, at least not at this point. He was more than a little interested in hearing what she wanted to talk to him about and didn’t want to divulge too much before he knew where things stood. Finding it a suitable time to change the subject, he asked, “Now what was that you said about my boxers?”

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