Chapter 59
Looking for Spring.
Not really, just watching a little Grand at play.
Hidden Secrets
Leona Palmer Haag
Chapter 59
Jenn climbed out of the swimming pool and wrapped
Katie up in a towel before her lips turned blue. She flipped another one open
for herself. Her cell phone fell from the towel pile and skittered across the
deck and stopped inches from the water. Jenn snatched it up and realized she
had three new voice messages. Someone must have called while she was diving
underwater with Katie. The first was from Matt. "Dia, this is Samuel. Got
your message. I'll get back with you later. Love ya too, babe."
Jenn rolled her eyes and groaned. Matt could be such a
pain at times. And why couldn't he answer just one question if he was going to
make the effort to call and leave a message?
The second one was from Kevin. "Jenn, this is
your Uncle. Call me back. Let's talk about your friend. Maybe I ought to get to
know her better. Set us up."
Jenn moaned. Kevin was strange. Was he looking for a
hot date? Teasing her into calling him faster than normal? Or was the whole
Angela/General thing important?
The third message was only a low hum for about ten
seconds before it disconnected.
Jenn propped Katie on her hip and quickly pushed the
button to close the pool cover. It slid into place and locked shut. Jenn always
waited for that little sound so she could keep Katie safe. Katie acted like it
was a game and laughed. As she walked to the house she discretely waved her
pinkie finger at Kevin in greeting, something that had also become a habit.
Maybe she'd start blowing him a kiss. It would bug him and be worth it.
First Jenn called Matt. When his voice mail picked up
she said, "I got your message Samuel, sweetie. Katie and I just finished
her swimming lesson. She's getting good. There might be signs of hope that
she'll someday get her strokes in sync. I think it's almost safe to say she
won't ever drown. She's a pro at keeping her mouth shut when she goes under. No
coughing or gagging for days now. Well, I'd better go. I don't know why. Maybe
so I stop rambling. Bye for now, my forever absent…” she cleared her throat,
“…husband."
Jenn hung up. It was lonely talking to a cold phone
without having anyone respond. In a one-sided conversation there was no,
"Great! She's a cute little water bug. What about you? How are you hanging
in there, kid?" She didn't think about how she was doing—or not doing—but
hurried to make another call.
Next was to Angela. There was no answer. She wasn't
surprised. She left a message: "Hey, this is Jenn. Call me when you get
that perm done and have a mega tip in your greedy little hand. I've always
wanted a rich friend to come to Dallas to take me shopping. Oh, did I mention
you're buying, and that it’s warm here?"
She hung up and placed a third call. "Kevin,
what's going on?"
"Who told you about the General?"
"Guess."
"It was classified information. I could have him
canned."
"Yeah, but then who would help you babysit
me?"
Kevin groaned.
"So what's going on? Is Angela safe? Is the
General in Chicago?"
"It's none of your business."
"Because Angela is my friend and she called me,
it is."
"They sent someone to pick up her boys and
someone to her work. She's being taken care of. Don't worry about her."
"Good."
"Jenn, in case you don't know, I haven't been
able to listen into old phone calls, but I can set it up so I can record
current ones. I've done it."
"Meaning, from this moment on, none of my
conversations are private?"
"Exactly. So if you want to say something that
will embarrass yourself, go ahead. I'll laugh, and so will the rest of the
office. We'll play the best conversations over the intercom system when we're
bored and if they're good enough."
"That stinks and you're mean and heartless."
"True, but you'll be front page news in the
office weekly. Such is the life of the rich and famous. Enjoy. Is there
anything else you need?"
Jenn looked around. She currently had more than she'd
ever dreamed of having—if only temporarily, and none of it made her rich or
famous. But still, one thing was glaringly missing. Her real wealth. And she
wanted it back. "Nick."
"Then I'd better get back to work so I can fill
your needs. Later."
"Wait! I thought of something!"
Kevin groaned.
"I heard that."
"What do you need now, Dia, the pampered diva?"
Kevin asked in a bored tone.
As Jenn scrolled to the phone number that had called,
but left no message, she sarcastically said, "For being such a generous
uncle, you sure can act begrudging at times."
Kevin grunted unhappily.
"Okay, write this number down." She rattled
it off and said, "Tell me whose number that is and why they called and
didn't leave anything more than the sound of fuzz on my voice mail."
Kevin called back a few minutes later. "We
tracked the call to another agent. We ran a check on it. He dialed on accident.
He swore it won't happen again. He took your number off his speed dial."
"What agent? Why was I on his speed dial in the
first place?" Jenn demanded.
Kevin paused. "He's keeping tabs on you. It's his
job. Relax, okay?"
"Okay," Jenn angrily muttered. "But
call him back and tell him he gave me the creeps. Make sure he's aware that me
and the creeps don't get along very well. Bad combination, you know."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Blah, blah, blah," Kevin
replied in a bored tone.
"And it sounded like the fuzz was next door. How
close is he?"
"Come on, Dia, we have satellites. Close has been
irrelevant for two decades."
"Which means he must be sitting in the back room
of a rental house in the next block with a giant pair of binoculars and a listening
device."
Kevin laughed. "Stop watching spy movies. They
fill your mind with all kinds of stupid stuff. Now, is there something
important you need?"
"Nick."
"Then I've got to get back to work. Bye, Diva."
Click.
End Chapter 59
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