Page 26 of Too Old for Love

“What did you find?” asked AJ.

“Everything. Everything and yet nothing. We can definitely implicate Samantha and Abigail but there are others involved, we just don’t know who they are yet. How was the guy in Pittsburgh?”

“Sad,” said Tanner, “but he was helpful. His doctors and the hospital have been so busy yelling at one another, none of them are looking at Med-Tech. I do get the feeling though that Everest might have seen, or might know something, that she just can’t put her finger on yet.”

“Keep picking her brain,” said Joseph. “Those two women are definitely guilty. The second guy that Everest talked about, Jordan, he was there. Dude was hurting in a bad way, rubbing up on them like he was a dog in heat. If he’s on those drugs, it’s not going to end well for him.”

“Okay,” nodded Parker. “Let’s get some food and rest. Tomorrow we’ll dig into that drive and see what we can find.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Mike held Everest tightly to his body as they relaxed on the front porch. The evening rain had cooled things down but another storm was headed this way and this one would bring more than just rain.

“I love the smell after the rain,” she whispered. “It reminds me that everything is new again, fresh.”

“Mmhmm,” he smiled against her hair. “Tanner and AJ said you did amazing today with Mr. Myers. I’m proud of you.”

Everest leaned back looking up at his face filled a smile and the pride in his eyes.

“What? What’s wrong?” he said.

“Nothing,” she said shaking her head. “Absolutely nothing. I don’t think my ex-husband ever told me he was proud of me. Ever.”

“Well, he was an idiot for two reasons now. That and letting you go, although the second one I owe him flowers for.” Everest laughed, shaking her head.

“You know, it didn’t really bother me when I heard but of course now it’s bringing up all kinds of thoughts.”

“Heard what?”

“I heard from an old neighbor that Pete, my ex, remarried. A woman twenty years younger than him and they’re expecting a baby. I thought our age gap was an issue and yet no one seems to care about their age gap or that he’s going to be a father at sixty-two.”

“Unfortunately the world has a double standard. In some parts of the world young girls are forced to marry men four or five times their age. They know nothing else. And yet when they’re young widows in their twenties, no one wants them,” said Mike. She nodded against his chest, nuzzling closer.

“I need to tell you something,” he said holding her. “I don’t know why I didn’t earlier, it doesn’t matter but it might explain how I feel. My father was a firefighter, a good one. My mom died when I was very young, maybe three or four.

“Dad was lost without her and then one day he said he was bringing a lady home for me to meet. He was only thirty-one at the time. The woman that walked in had gray hair. Not all over, but it was sprinkled throughout,” he chuckled. “I thought she was going to be my babysitter. But she wasn’t. She was a woman who worked dispatch for the fire department. Marilyn. She had a big smile and she smelled like roses. I didn’t know it at the time but she was nine years older than my father. He didn’t seem to care and I was too young to care.

“As I got older, I realized my father saw much more than gray hair. She was funny and smart, she laughed like the whole world was funny and it made me laugh. She was a great cook. Made the best gumbo ever.”

“She sounds wonderful,” smiled Everest.

“She was. I didn’t see it for a while but she really was. While I was in the Army my father was killed working a chemical fire.”

“I’m so sorry,” she said hugging him tighter.

“It’s okay. I think he was okay with it. He died loving what he did. I came home for the funeral and Marilyn looked so lost, so old. She died three months later. The doctor said it was a broken heart. I didn’t buy that originally but I get it now. I can see how someone might die of a broken heart.”

“Don’t say that,” said Everest. “Please don’t say that. You don’t know what might happen in the future.”

“No, I don’t. But I do know that as long as I’m with you my world will feel perfect.”

Thunder rolled over the property, lightning off in the distance. Luke, Hex, Gaspar and Nine ran down the path, stepping onto the porch.

“Hi fellas,” he smiled. “Need a dry porch?”

“Yes. And no,” grinned Luke. “We’d like to propose something to you Mike.”

“Okay,” he said looking at them with a funny expression.