Chapter Nine:

She stood up and walked around to the front of Bo’s desk, “Wait a minute, you knew about this?”

“I’m sorry, Nora. I tried to get him to tell you. He refused.”

“Why…”

“He wanted to protect you and the baby. He said you had been through so much, between the kidnapping and the pregnancy. You had already been put on bed rest. He thought it would be over soon, and it almost was, until…”

“Until they decided to murder him,” she walked back behind the desk, “This is what the two of you were talking about when I interrupted you in here that afternoon, isn’t it?”

“Yes, and at the hospital after you had the baby.”

“I knew it, I knew something was off that day but I thought it was just me. I was so tired I thought my emotions were just on overload,” she pauses, “obviously I should’ve gone with my gut.”

“I wish there was a way to go back and change things.”

“But we can’t change what happened, Olivia. Bo’s gone, but there is still something we can do, something to insure that Bo did not die in vain.”

*~*

Bridget walked out onto the terrace and handed him a glass of ice tea. He leaned in and kissed her, wrapping his other arm around her shoulders, “He has someone out there waiting for him…”

He looked down at her, “How do you know?”

“Remember when he had that reaction to you calling me Red? He said that it felt familiar,” Michael nods, “I was walking past his room this afternoon when I heard him mumbling in his sleep. I walked in because I noticed his blankets were lying on the floor. I covered him back up and turned to leave. That’s when he spoke again.”

“What did he say?”

“He said, ‘I’ll always find my way back, Red…always.’ “That’s why he had that reaction, Michael. He calls her ‘Red’.”

Michael slammed his glass down on the table, causing Bridget to jump slightly. Michael noticed and walked over, taking her in his arms, “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He looked out over the fields watching Bo walk along the pond, “This whole situation is just so frustrating, Bridge.”

Bo had awoken that afternoon with no recollection of the dream he had or what he had said. All he felt was an overwhelming sadness, one that he couldn’t explain. He sat down on the banks of the pond, watching the bugs land on the surface of the water, preparing to be a fish’s evening meal…’It’s fishin’ time, honey…come on, up and at ‘em …rise and shine, …let’s hit the deck…’No no, no hitting, no rising, no shining…’ Bo shook his head, the memory disappearing as quickly as it came. Bo held his head in his hands, “Why…why can’t I remember?” He stood up and made his way back to the house.

*~*

“Nora, the FBI is handling this case, they’ll bring them down. They lost one of their own the night Bo died.”

Nora turned, “How come this is the first I’m hearing about this? The FBI is involved in this, and I’m just now finding it out? I’m the DA for goodness sakes. Olivia what is going on, who are these people?”

Olivia sat down in the chair across from her, “Simply put, they’re gun runners, drug dealers, all around scum.”

“Why was my husband, the Commissioner of Police in a town the size of Llanview, involved in a case like this?”

“They’re using a business in Angel Square as a front. Bo wanted them out of his town…”

“His town…he ended up losing his life because of his loyalty to this town.” Nora stood up and grabbed her purse, “I want the name of the person in charge with the FBI. I’m going to find out exactly where the FBI was the night my husband was killed.”

“His name’s Agent Cass.” She reaches into her pocket, “Here’s his card.”

Nora takes the card from her just as her cell phone begins to ring, “Hello…Suze, what is it…Oh my God!” She threw her phone back in her purse, “I’ve got to go.”

“What happened…Nora…”

“Matthew didn’t get on the bus this afternoon. He’s…He’s missing. I’m sorry, I’ve got to go.”

“You go; I’ll have Antonio follow you to the house.”

“No…have him go to the school, I’m going to go look around the park, and the diner, places I know he likes to go. Have Antonio call me on my cell.”

“You’ll find him, Nora.”

Nora nodded, a few tears escaping, “I won’t lose him, too.”

*~*

Matthew walked through the gates and over to the marker on the ground. He kneeled down in front of it, “Hi dad…”

*~*

Bo walked up to where Michael was sitting on the terrace, “You really have a beautiful place here. It reminds me of some thing, of some place but I can’t put my finger on it. That seems to be happening a lot today.”

“Did you remember something else?”

“Else…?”

“Yes, Bridget says that you said something in your dream this afternoon, something that explains why you had such a reaction to my calling Bridget ‘Red’.”

Bo sat down in the chair, “I don’t remember,” he looks over at Michael, “What did I say?”

“‘I’ll always find my way back, Red…always.’” He watched Bo closely for a reaction, there was none, “So you said that you remembered something? What was it?”

“I was sitting by the pond and I was watching the bugs land on the water. I was thinking about how they were like sitting ducks, just waiting to be snatched up and eaten, and suddenly I had a flash, a memory. We were going fishing…I think I was trying to wake her up. The memory left as quickly as it came. I tried to bring it back but I couldn’t.”

“Bridget was right…there is someone out there waiting.”

“Yeah…but who?”

*~*

Nora pushed open the diner doors and ran over to the counter, “Where’s Carlotta?”

“She’s in the back…”

Just then Carlotta came from the back, “Nora…”

“Carlotta have you seen Matthew? Did he stop by here after school?”

“No…why?”

“He never got on the bus this afternoon. I’ve called his friends, Asa, I called Renee at the Palace. I checked the park, here…”

Carlotta noticed the look on her face, “What…what are you thinking…”

“I know where he is…thank you, Carlotta.”

*~*

Matthew brushed a few fallen leaves off the gray stone, tracing his fingers over the letters that spelled his father’s name. He rubbed his eyes, wiping the tears with the back of his hand, “I miss you dad.” He pulled his knees tight against his chest, and stared at the ground. Nora walks up to the gate and sighs in relief. She begins to approach him, but stops when he begins to speak again, “Mom says that God takes people to Heaven when he needs more guardian angels. Well I think that just stinks and you know what I hate Him for taking you away. We needed you more than He needs you. Destiny is just a baby and mom…she cries all the time, dad. I know she tries to hide it, but I can hear her at night. She’s been sleeping on the couch; she only goes in your room to get dressed. Destiny cries a lot too. Mom says that’s just because she’s a baby, but I think it’s because she knows you’re not there anymore.”

Nora wiped a few tears from her cheek, and walked out, deciding to wait for him at the end of the path leading out of the cemetery.

Matthew stood up and wiped the tears from his face once again, “I’m done crying now, dad. I’m going to make you proud. I’m going to be strong and brave, and I’m going to take care of mom and Destiny.” He pulls out a small ribbon from his pocket, “I won the spelling bee today,” he places the ribbon down on the stone, “I love you, dad.”

Matthew walks through the gate and walks down the path. His shoulders slump slightly when he sees his mom standing at the end of the path. He walks up to her and looks her in the eyes, “I’m sorry, mom. I…I just wanted to talk to him.”

Nora kneeled down in front of him, laying her hand on his cheek, “I understand, sweetie, but you can’t run off like that, okay. Promise me next time that you’ll tell me and we’ll come together.”

“I promise.”

Nora pulled him tight against her. She broke their embrace and stood up. She held out her hand, he took it, “Come one, champ. Let’s go home.”