Immortal Decision, page 6
Julie slowly walked toward him and took his hand, putting it to her breasts. He stood and slowly explored her body with his hands. Taking her in his arms, he pulled her to him, and kissed her deeply on the lips. He picked her up, cradled her in his arms, and carried her to the bedroom. Yes, life had gotten better today.
Chapter 7
The next morning, Julie awoke to the sun shining through the window, and squinted to see through the light. Dean was sitting beside her, leaning up against the headboard, his knees drawn up and the sheet pulled over himself, holding the letter his mom had left him.
“Good morning, Superman.”
“Morning Julie.” He turned his head to face her gently kissing her lips. “Did you sleep well?”
“Uh huh,” she said as she stretched her arms as high as she could. “How long have you been awake?”
“Awhile. I guess I was blessed with the ability to not need sleep either.”
“What are you doing reading that again?”
“Mom was always good with words. She always had a way of saying things that didn’t really come out of her mouth. I was looking for something she might have written that was meant to mean something totally different.”
She rolled over to him. “Find anything?”
“I think so. Listen, ‘I wish I had answers for you, but there is only one answer, I pray you find it before it’s too late.’ What do you think she was saying in that sentence, knowing it is the last sentence?”
“I have no clue. Just tell me what you’re thinking.”
“Remember how you kept trying to remember that scientist’s name last night? You kept calling him Berkshire.”
“Yea, it was something like that.” She flipped her hand.
“How about Berkfield, does that ring a bell?”
“Yes, I’m sure that’s it!” Julie was a little excited even though she didn’t know why yet.
He held up the piece of paper with his name on it, along with the key that had been wrapped inside, “I found this in the box too. I forgot all about it, but that name kept sounding so familiar, then it dawned on me. I think this Berkfield guy is the scientist you kept talking about and all the stuff your dad told you. This key has got to be to something important. There can’t be any other reason for it to be in the box with all the other stuff unless it is,” he said, his voice getting higher with excitement.
Julie sat up and took the key out of Dean’s hand, looking at it carefully. “It looks like just a house key. There wasn’t anything else in the box saying what it went to?”
“No, but I have a theory. What if Mom didn’t put this key in there? What if someone else did after? Mom says in the letter there is only one answer and prayed I would find it. What if this is the answer and someone put it there to give me the answer?” Dean exclaimed even more excitedly.
Julie wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know, Dean. Your dad was already dead. Who else would have had access to the safe deposit box?”
“You really want my theory?” he asked, eyes bright and wide.
“Try me.”
“Mr. J Berkfield.”
“Yea, but Dad says he died shortly after your mom.”
“True, but what if, before he died, he got the key to the safe deposit box from Mom and put this in there with his name? You’re the one who said people thought they were having an affair since they were together so much.”
“You have a point. Ok, Mr. Theorist, if all that is true, then what the hell is this key to?”
“His secret lab!” he exclaimed bouncing up and down.
“You think his secret lab, that someone tried to kill him over by torturing him until he killed himself, can be opened with a house key?”
“As my dad used to say, ‘if you want to hide something, hide it in plain sight.”
“Ok, let’s say it is to his lab, what answer is there?”
“Are you ready for this?” He looked at her with excitement.
“Shoot, big boy,” she giggled.
“I think he did find the cure for Bobby. I think that’s what he was tortured for, and I think at that time, and maybe even now, the government didn’t want the SADAACs to be normal. Look at all they’ve done for them, all the wars Bobby said they ended before we even knew they existed.”
“They may change their tune when they find out they all blew a fuse and are off the deep end,” Julie added.
Dean sat silently for a few moments thinking. She could tell he was trying to come up with words to say something. “Julie, I did a lot of thinking this morning. I don’t want to be here, and I don’t want to hide or run or even act like I’m running. In the letter Mom said, ‘I know my son that is not in his nature.’ and it’s not. If you don’t want to go with me that’s fine, I’ll understand, but I have to go home. I have to figure out who this Berkfield is and what this key is to. If someone tries to kill me along the way, so be it. That’s better than hiding.” Dean looked at her waiting to see what her response would be and didn’t have to wait long.
She placed the side of her head in her hand leaning on her elbow. “I asked you to run yesterday because I didn’t know what you would do when you found out about all this. It wasn’t that I wanted to, I mean I would if you asked me but I’m with you. Dean, look at me.” She touched the right side of his face and directed his eyes to hers, “I love you like a woman loves her husband. I always have and each day that love grows. I know you may not feel that way right now, and I’m not asking you to. If you asked me to jump off a mountain, I would.” She leaned forward and softly touched her lips to his.
Dean followed her lead and wrapped his arms around her. He did love her as a man loves a wife. He pulled her back down on the bed. Julie took the hint and rolled on top of him. Both still without clothes on, they made true love.
Exhausted, Julie rolled over and tried to catch her breath. “You know, I could get real used to this.”
“What do you mean you could get used to it? I already am and don’t intend on stopping anytime soon.”
Dean threw the sheet off himself and threw his legs over the side of the bed. They both got to their feet and took a shower.
Once they were dressed, Julie made her way into the kitchen. “I know I saw some eggs in here last night. Let’s have a good breakfast before you go fighting bad guys,” she joked trying to make light of their situation.
“I think we need to get hold of your dad and ask him all he knows about Mr. Berkfield. Where should we start looking for his lab, or whatever this key goes to?”
“Well, North Carolina was where everyone else looked. He had a house there and a garage. Thing is, they didn’t find anything.”
“Maybe this key goes to something they didn’t find,” he said, grasping.
“Dean, if it went to his front door, it really doesn’t matter. They went into his house and his garage. The only thing we can hope for is it’s not to anything they searched.” Julie served up the eggs and bacon she had cooked, and they sat down to eat.
Julie was finishing up the dishes after eating when her cell phone rang. “Looks like we aren’t going to have to call Dad.” She answered her phone. “Hello?”
“How’s everything with you two this morning?” Jimmy asked.
“Good, we got a good night’s sleep and Dean has been doing some thinking. He wants to know all you know about Mr. Berkfield. He found a key wrapped in a piece of paper with his name on it in the safe deposit box. That was the dude you told me about, the scientist guy, right?”
“Yea, Dr. Berkfield, he was the one who created the drug I took during Desert Storm.”
“Do you want to talk to Dean? He wants to head back home; he says he’s not going to run from whatever this is. And Dad, I agree with him. Neither one of us want to run or hide.”
“I kind of figured that would happen. I can’t say that I’m surprised. I really wish you wouldn’t come back here though, you two are all over the news and everyone is looking for you.”
“Here, I’m going to let you talk to Dean.” Julie handed the phone to him.
“Hello.”
“Hey Dean. I understand you wanting to come back and all, but everybody is looking for you two right now. I told the police when they came to my house that you two most likely ran off together. I don’t think they believed me though.”
“Well, I think we’re going to head to North Carolina to look for what this key goes to. Unless you have a better idea of where to start looking.”
“You have no idea what the key’s to? Your mom never said?”
“No, I’m pretty sure this Berkfield put it there after Mom died and before he did. I thought if I go to the bank, they might be able to tell me if anyone had signed to get into her safe deposit box after she died. I know they keep a log; they made me sign one before I could get anything out of it. If it wasn’t him, then I don’t know where else to start looking.”
“Well, go to the bank and see what you can find out but don’t go to either one of your houses yet. Stay low and try not to let people who may know you see you. I’ll see if there’s anything I can find out while you head back.”
“Julie says it’s like a six-hour drive. I don’t think we’ll have enough gas to get back, so we might have to use a credit card. Neither one of us has any cash on us.”
“No, don’t do that! There’s money in a plastic bag in the toilet tank, use it. The longer you two stays off the grid the better, until I can find out more.”
Dean laughed. “There’s money in the toilet?”
“At the time I figured you might need it.”
“Good figuring.” He laughed again. “Alright, we’re going to get ready to get out of here. Here’s Julie back.”
“Julie you guys take care of yourself. Did everything go ok last night? Did you have any problems?”
“No, everything went great, I’ll call you later. Love you!”
“I love you too honey.”
Dean got a big grin on his face. “What, you didn’t want to tell him we had passionate sex?”
“No, I’m keeping that between us,” she said, reaching out and tickling his side.
“Ok, enough fun and games. We have to get the money out of the toilet,” he said as he made his way to the bathroom.
He lifted off the lid to the back of the toilet tank and inside, sure enough, just as Jimmy said, was a plastic bag floating with money inside. He pulled it out letting it drip. “I wonder if this is what they mean by money laundering?” he chuckled.
They gathered a couple of days’ worth of clothing that Jimmy had left in the cabin and loaded the car. Neither was sure exactly where their travels may take them, but at least they’d have some clean clothes if needed.
“There’s one thing I haven’t asked since we’ve been here,” Dean said as they got into the driver’s seat of the car.
“What’s that honey?”
“I know we are at least six hours from home, but what the hell state are we in?” Dean had no idea what direction Jimmy had flown when he rescued them.
“I don’t know what town we’re in, but I know we’re somewhere in Indiana.”
“So, I guess we are heading east back to Bellsville, Ohio.”
Dean fired up the Firebird and headed down the road. He found his way to the highway and the miles went by slowly. Neither of them really knew what to talk about.
Julie tried small talk. “Dean, why did you marry Anna? I mean it’s no big deal, I just never thought she was your type.”
“I don’t really know. We met one night and before I knew it, we were married. Come to think of it, I don’t even remember asking her. She was kind of controlling,” Dean joked half laughing.
“Is she from Bellsville?”
“No, her dad died before she was born and then her mom moved here and met her stepdad.”
“Oh, I thought that was her real dad.”
“She’s never known anyone as a dad except him. I didn’t find out till well after we got married.”
“So why did you guys get a divorce?” Julie really wanted to hear this answer.
“Julie, you know it wasn’t like a real marriage. Most of the time she wasn’t even home. I never knew where she was or what she was doing. Then one day she comes home and says, ‘we’re getting a divorce.’”
“You didn’t even ask why?”
“No, I was glad that it was going to be over. A few days later she handed me a paper to sign and that was pretty much it.”
“She just gave you the house and everything?”
“Well, she never worked. I know her dad isn’t rich so I’m pretty sure she didn’t have a way to pay for it. She just told me before I signed the divorce papers that I could have everything, then she packed up all her clothes and left. I hadn’t seen her until we saw her at her parent’s old farm.”
“Do you think Bobby and she have a thing going?” Julie was trying to figure out the connection.
“No clue. I was completely shocked when I saw Bobby show up there. Which reminds me, how did you know I was there?” Dean was now wondering, as he did at the time, how she seemed to show up at just the right time.
“Can I tell you the truth without you getting mad?”
“Why would I get mad? Hell, you probably saved my ass.”
“Dad had a tracking device on your phone, and I put one in your car that morning.”
“Why?”
“Dean, someone had just tried to kill you and we knew all about your past and you didn’t. We kind of decided we needed to know where you were,” she blurted out, wondering why Dean would even ask.
Dean chuckled at her apparent state of fluster. “Ok, ok, I’ll give you that one.”
Dean grew quiet for a few minutes thinking of his own questions he wanted to ask since they had so much time to kill. “I have a question for you.”
“Ask away,” Julie stated. “I got nothing to hide.”
“Two or three times in the last day you have said that you have always loved me. If you have always loved me like you say you do, then why did you always turn me down when I would ask you out in high school?”
“Hell, that’s easy, I didn’t want to be your high school sweetheart. I wanted to be your wife. If I had dated you back then, even right after high school, I would have been nothing more than a notch on your bedpost. No sir, I’m not that kind of girl.” Julie shot a glance at him.
Dean thought about her answer for a moment. “You could have at least told me that or told me something.”
“I did, last night while we were making love.” She reached over and took his hand in hers. “I might have you now.”
“Of that, I have no doubt,” Dean exclaimed squeezing her hand to let her know she did.
“How much longer till we get there?” Julie asked.
“At least an hour.”
Chapter 8
Jimmy sat at his computer desk sipping his cup of coffee searching through his files and found the address for Dr. Jerry Berkfield. He had stayed close to him for the last year or so that he was alive. The doctor told him the truth about his daughter and Dean, and confided in him the way the SADAACs could be killed if needed.
He reached for his phone and texted the address to Julie and Dean. He was pretty sure the kids would find nothing there; the government had searched the property thoroughly after Dr. Berkfield died.
He wondered why Dean had found a key with Dr. Berkfield’s name in the safe deposit box left by his mother. It had to be to something other than anything on his property. At least if they were there, it would give him some time to sort this mess out here.
Jimmy walked into his kitchen to pour a fresh cup of coffee when he heard his front doorbell ring and wondered who it could be. Walking toward the front door he didn’t have to wait long to find out. He heard a loud thud, then another, whoever it was, was trying to kick the door in. Jimmy grabbed his phone off the desk and ran for the backdoor. His front door gave way.
“Freeze.” Was all he heard. “Put your hands on your head!”
Jimmy froze where he was, slipped his cell phone into his front pocket, and began to raise his arms. For a fleeting moment he thought of making a run for the back door, then three more men came toward him from the back of the house.
Jimmy put his hands on his head and turned to face the man who had screamed. “What do you want?” he asked.
The men were dressed in either suits or black dress pants and white shirts. Surely, they had to be government employees, but which branch did they work for? The man who yelled at him approached with his gun still drawn. Jimmy glanced around seeing all the men had their weapons drawn. Two of them searched his house, no doubt, looking for Dean.
“Search him,” one commanded.
One man pushed Jimmy face first against the wall, kicking his legs apart and raising his hands to search him. Finding his cell phone, he asked Jimmy to remove it. The man took it and tossed it across the room to another agent.
“Have a seat Mr. Beckley,” the first man said.
Jimmy sat down in his computer chair, his knees shaking a bit from all the excitement. His mind raced, trying to think of a way to warn Dean and Julie. If he could just find a way to tell them to run… then he remembered what Julie had said to him on the phone. Dean doesn’t want to run.
“I’m Agent Lang from the Secret Service, Mr. Beckley, and we have a problem.” Mr. Lang lowered his weapon and returned it to its holster behind his back.
“What problem is that?” Jimmy asked, surprised that it was the Secret Service at his house. If they’re here, then this is a very big problem.
“I think you know. We have an Army squadron out there wreaking havoc looking for someone, and I think you know who that someone is. According to eye witnesses a helicopter plucked him out of a field while he was being shot at. Does any of this ring a bell, Mr. Beckley?”
