Turning their phones back off, they got settled back in the bed. She grabbed the book and began to read to him again. A great classic mystery, with traditional prose. It started getting good, but then he yawned, and so did she. It wasn’t long before they both were fast asleep in each other’s arms enjoying a midday nap after an epic, unforgettable afternoon delight…
Chapter Twenty
Jack leaned back in the office station at Denali National Park, his usual location. Incident reports and files were arranged in various heaps on his desk, but he was far too distracted at that moment to even think of going through the mountain of paperwork. He had just finished speaking to another ranger about one of the quaint rental cabins in need of air-conditioning repair before the summer months hit, and tourism picked up. But that was the least of his concerns. Just moments before the call, an FBI Agent had left his office after a long talk. Now, here he sat, his soul whirling, his heart aching, and his mental wheels spinning.
He figured it would be just a few questions, but that’s not what went down at all. Agent Taylor was a short, stocky man with a bald dome, arms covered in tattoos, and dark sunglasses on the top of his gigantic head. He’d worn a bomber jacket, which he’d slipped off at some point during the conversation, revealing a simple black t-shirt. The man appeared quite laid back in his attire, but his demeanor was serious and determined. He was a strange contrast of sorts. Jack wasn’t certain what he expected, but he always envisioned people like him in suits and ties, or at least business casual attire.
Agent Taylor had told him straight out: “We’ve got a problem.”
Jack picked up his phone again and called Kim. He’d spent the past hour keeping things all to himself, but he knew if he didn’t update her about this matter, for his sake and hers, he’d burst into an angry rage. He couldn’t make sense of his feelings, even though the information wasn’t in the least surprising.
Things were about to get complicated.
The phone rang a few times, and then Kim answered, panting as if she’d just run a few miles.
“Hi, baby. I just got out the shower and couldn’t find my phone for the longest. My coffee is now cold, couldn’t find that either until just now. I’m having a hell of a morning. Hey, did the agent talk to you yet? Are you working late tonight? How’s your day going?” she asked, barely giving him a word in edgewise.
It was evident that she was distracted, too. He could hear faint music playing in the background.
“Yeah, he was here. It was interesting.”
“Really? How so? Oh, hold on, Jack. My tea kettle is ready.” He waited while the sound of the tea kettle whistling became louder and louder. She talked to herself as she fussed. “Oh, shut up. I heard you, kettle! I took you off the eye and you’re still making a strange noise. What is that? A piece of lint? That better not be a bug… Why are two of these here? Did I buy another bag of flour? I don’t remember that… Okay, baby. Sorry about that. I’m back. So tell me what happened.”
“So uh, yeah…” He grabbed one of the pencils off the small desk and tapped it against his coffee tumbler like a drum. “His name is Agent Andrew Taylor. He was assigned the case.”
“Does Walt know him personally?”
“Yes. He said he was trained directly by Walt, so I guess he really trusts this guy. I don’t need to get into the whole thing and waste your time, but basically he said that my name has been trashed in town.”
“Well, that’s nothing new. If I had listened to other people trying to warn me about you, telling me this and that, I would have missed out on a wonderful man. The love of my life.”
He needed that. He felt the meaning of those words flowing within him like a much-desired tonic.
“I love you too, honey. Ultimately, Kim, this is a bit different from the rumors and suspicions you were told about me when we first met. This time, according to the agent, a lot of lies have been told about me that I had to correct right then and there as he brought them up, and the police, I believe, have falsified some records—such as adding negative notes about me in a report they have on yours truly, regarding my routine interactions with their shady department. I told him that I have been trying to get them to look into my son’s case, and they’ve been giving me the runaround. He advised me to stop going there because now that they know the FBI is involved, they’re pissed.”