Retribution

Chapter 2

Steve shook his head. “No, but I’ll keep it in mind.”

As he clicked his door lock, he knew no force on Heaven or earth would lure him into a job where he felt like a duck in a shooting gallery. He’d had enough of that for a lifetime. He wanted peace, stability and safety, fun times with his nephews and the rest of his family. All the trappings of a suburban life. He wanted a quiet life, to meet a nice girl and get married. The American dream. Maybe he’d even get a small dog to lie at his feet.

As he headed to the interview, he tried to put the morning out of his mind. What surprised him the most was that it wasn’t the robbery that occupied his attention. It was the pretty crime investigator he’d briefly met.

He parked in the airport lot, feeling at home. A plane took off, giving him a wave of nostalgia. He hadn’t flown with Pop since before his tour of duty. With his dad’s help, he’d gotten his pilot’s license when he was sixteen. He still flew upon occasion, though his real interest lay in the mechanical maintenance of planes. Perhaps they could get in a little flight time soon. But first, he’d give Pop’s plane a thorough going over.

As he parked the car and walked past the tinted sliding doors that led into the main building, he caught a glimpse of his reflection. Fortunately, he’d looked worse. He was shaved and neatly dressed in cargo pants and a navy, cotton polo shirt. He’d had his hair trimmed and had even persuaded his cowlick to lie flat. Though the job didn’t depend solely upon his appearance, he’d learned that first impressions were important. He owed the military for demanding a display of self-assurance, even when it didn’t exist.

He found the office of Vince, the mechanical supervisor. Steve knocked on the door and heard an invitation to enter. Vince sat behind a worn desk that was piled high with papers. He was stout and barrel-chested, with a reputation for being a demanding boss with a short fuse. Steve could live with that. He’d endured a drill sergeant and an exacting commanding officer. He could survive Vince, as well.

Vince half rose out of his chair and stuck out a beefy hand. “You must be Steve. I’m glad you could make it. His words lacked sarcasm.

“Thanks for seeing me. I didn’t expect to be involved in a robbery.”

“Just something that suddenly comes over you, huh?” Vince asked.

Steve looked at him, confused, and then realized he was joking. “I hope I would have been smarter than that robber,” he replied.

“Missing a few brain cells, was he?”

“Drug induced, I think,” Steve said.

“That’s one thing we don’t tolerate here,” Vince said, taking a serious tone.

“I don’t do drugs,” Steve replied, wondering if he should confess to a serious addiction to Oreos.

Vince nodded in approval. “Glad to hear it. There’ll be no worries about you passing the drug test.”

He riffled though papers, frowning until he found the ones he sought. “You have good credentials. I don’t see how I could go wrong with you. Come take a look at the planes. Then, if you want the job, we’ll set up the preliminaries for employment.”

Steve nodded, surprised by the ease with which he’d been hired and wondering if there was a catch somewhere. Except for the robbery, life had fallen neatly into place since he’d returned. His family was well. He had a nest egg of savings.

This chain of good luck seemed to verify he’d been right to leave the service. Though he was grateful for the training, and a military career had appealed to his sense of adventure, he’d missed civilian life. Ultimately, he’d decided not to re-enlist. And now, he’d been hired for the job of his choice.

He tried to concentrate as Vince droned on about engines Steve had worked on for years. After awhile, Vince’s monotone became background noise.

They toured the hangers that housed the three airlines operating out of the airport. Unlike the private airport where Pop’s little Cessna sat next to one that belonged to a local real estate tycoon, this airport flew mostly Beechcraft C90GT, a more powerful version of the C908. Steve pictured the internal workings of each plane and went through a mental check-list of a safety inspection.

At last, Vince asked, “Well what do you think? You want the job?”

Steve realized they’d finished the tour. “Sure.”

“Can you start within the week?”

“Tomorrow, if you need me.”

Vince nodded. “Sounds good.”

He looked up, studying Steve. “What keeps you from becoming a commercial pilot? You’d make more money.”

Steve shook his head. “I like working on planes. Flying is strictly for fun.”

Vince looked a little doubtful. “Okay, I don’t interfere in other people’s business, but, you know, with your hours of flight time, you could do better than this.”

Steve couldn’t help smiling at Vince’s disclaimer. “Trust me. I know what I want.”

“Your life, kid.”

After he filled out some forms, Steve decided to head over to see his folks. They’d be pleased by his news of a safe job. His mom had been none too thrilled about his decision to join the Air Force and downright distraught when he’d been shipped overseas. The fact that Pop had been less vocal had spoken volumes about his worry.

A few miles past the mall, he turned left onto a winding paved road that led up to the hilly, middle-class subdivision where his parents lived. Though he’d been gone only four years, things had changed. Upon his return, he’d been surprised to discover Main Street had been expanded to four lanes during his absence.

He passed houses of childhood friends. His mom had been quick to catch him up as to their whereabouts when he returned. He’d called up a few of the guys, had even gone out for a beer. And he’d come away feeling like an outsider. Whether truckers or corporate players, he couldn’t relate to their lives. Perhaps he was too soon returned from war. Still, talking over old times made him nostalgic.

He’d called up the girl he’d dated during his sophomore year in college and asked her to go out to dinner. Though he had high expectations, it hadn’t worked out. He was honest enough to admit it wasn’t her fault. While his experiences had changed his world views in the last four years, Mandy’s had not. She was still a starry-eyed idealist who believed she could change the world. He was no longer an idealist. He’d seen the world, and knew that no amount of happy talk was going to convince the ruthless to become beneficent.

They’d parted, he and Mandy, each saying they’d had a wonderful time. He’d not called her again. He knew his decision saddened his mom, who’d always liked her. He’d already upset his mom by dropping out of college after two years. He hated disappointing her further. Perhaps, they’d both like the next girl he dated.

He pulled into the cracked and aging driveway and stared at the house. In spite of its thirty- some years, his parents kept it up admirably. A two story structure of brick and wood, it had a roof that overhung the porch. Downstairs, lay a large country kitchen, a family room, a library full of Dad’s airplane books and Mom’s sewing projects, and the master bedroom.

Upstairs, were two bedrooms separated by a bathroom in the hall. He smiled, remembering the occasional thunder storms that had sent him and Megan scrambling downstairs into their parents’ room for safety. He hoped, one day, he’d have just such a home where his children could run to their parents for comfort.

After he opened the front door with his key and stepped into the red-tiled entryway, he listened for voices. It was eerily quiet. In the room to his left, there was no hum of the sewing machine or of Mom’s singing along with her favorite CD’s. He peered inside to find it empty.

He moved through the family room into the kitchen. Dishes were strewn on the table. Dad’s newspaper lay in a crumpled heap on the floor beside his chair. Steve stared at the disorder, puzzled. It wasn’t like either of them to go off and leave a mess. Their penchant for neatness caused them to barely survive their children’s teenage years.

He was struck by a sudden thought. Perhaps they were taking advantage of their empty nest with an expression of romance. It seemed unlikely. Yet he knew it was due to his preconceived notions. Children generally had difficulty imagining their parents in the throes of passion.

Though he might mortify himself and them, he stepped to the entrance of their bedroom at the bottom of the stairs and announced his presence. He had no choice. Even if this proved awkward, he had to make sure his parents were all right.

He received no response. He moved cautiously into their room. It was tidy, yet empty.

Returning to the living room, he checked the sliding glass door that led into the back yard. His worry edged up a notch when he discovered they’d left it unlocked. A deranged lunatic could have entered the house and murdered them. Though the motivation eluded Steve, he couldn’t tamp down his fear.

His heart thudded against his ribs. Only an emergency would cause them to leave in such a rush. Possibilities of a heart attack, stroke, concussion, kidnapping, or grisly murder flooded his mind. Cozy memories of childhood fled, replaced by war scenes.

His cell phone rang and he braced himself.

It was his sister, Megan. “I’m glad I caught you. Gramps is in the hospital with chest pain. It all happened about a half hour ago. I knew you’d want to be with us.”

To his relief, bloody visions of murder vanished. Yet he was concerned for Gramps, whom he’d worried about for months. It had been less than a year since his wife had died and the elderly man had never recovered. Though Steve understood his loneliness and loss, he wasn’t ready to lose one of his very best friends.

“I’ll be right down,” Steve said, already in the doorway.

The regional hospital was no more than fifteen minutes from his parents’ house. He jogged to his car and sped onto the street. Fortunately, traffic was light and he made good time, even though it meant taking advantage of several yellow lights.

He arrived in the emergency waiting room to find Megan sitting alone. Their parents were in with Gramps. But the news was good so far.

“The blood test looked fine. They’re thinking it might be stress. He thought he saw someone prowling around his house,” Megan said.

“They’re keeping him for more tests though, right?”

She nodded. “They intend to be sure.”

He glanced around. “Where are the kids?”

“Lucy has them. She said she could keep them for a while.” Lucy was Megan’s neighbor and best friend.

“I don’t want things to change, Megan.”

She gave him a quick glance. “What do you mean?”

“Gramps, this town. The people we know.”

She frowned at him. “Nothing’s going to change. Gramps will be okay.”

Megan, the eternal optimist, never failed to assume the best. Most often, she was right. Yet, this time, he had a feeling of foreboding he couldn’t shake.

“I wonder if he really did see someone skulking around,” Steve said.

Megan shrugged. “He was on the phone with the police when the chest pain started. There was no sign of anyone when the police and ambulance arrived.”

“So you think he imagined it?”

Megan’s tranquil blue eyes clouded. “He’s been unsettled since Grandma died. Not really his old self. He could be growing paranoid.”

Steve sunk into a funk. There was nothing worse than seeing members of your family become shadows of themselves, succumbing to the time-induced ravages of body and mind. It had been heart- breaking when diabetes robbed Grandma of her vision and the feeling in her legs. After he went overseas, Mom’s letters told of the torturous days when her kidneys failed. Steve had been out of the country when she died.

He wished he could go back to the way things had been before he left. Back then, Grandma would sit in her wheelchair at family gatherings, smiling at Megan’s toddler at play. She’d been a good listener, too, someone he and Megan sought when they needed a sympathetic ear. He’d mourned the news of her death, feeling cheated he’d not gotten to kiss her soft cheek one last time or tell her good- bye.

It was too soon to lose Gramps. Though he said he was ready to be with his beloved, Amanda, the family wasn’t ready to let him go.

Steve glanced up as his mother, an older version of Megan, entered the waiting room. Rachel carried herself with Megan’s ease of movement, transmitting a tranquil aura wherever she went. She was nicely rounded due to a flair for home cooking, and had vivid blue eyes that Megan had inherited, instead of the characteristic gray eyes of the males in the family. Though she was usually quick to smile, today she wore a frown.

She settled beside Steve and patted his hand. “Gramps keeps rambling about a burglar. He got himself so worked up, we had a hard time calming him down.”

“He likes my riddles. I could try to distract him,” Steve offered.

Rachel shook her head. “He’s on the way to another test. Dad went along for the ride upstairs. If it turns out okay, they’ll probably release him. We’ll keep him with us for a few days.”

“Maybe it’s time for him to live in a care facility,” Megan said. Her matter of fact tone made Steve cringe. “He’d be miserable.”

“He’d be safe,” Megan said.

“He’s independent, like your dad,” said Rachel. “It wouldn’t be easy to get him to go. Fortunately, we can put off the decision until we see if he’s beginning to imagine things.”

A few minutes later, Rachel stood up to greet a tall, gray haired man who looked younger than his fifty-three years. She kissed his cheek and asked, “How’s Dad?”

“He’s settling down. I think he’s going to be all right.” Megan and Steve gave their dad a hug.

Steve hoped it would be a long time before Pop was in the same situation as Gramps. Gramp’s side of the family had a history of long life. If that was any indication, both Pop and Gramps should be around for many years. That was, if Gramp’s mental health remained sound.

They waited together until the doctor came out to explain the results of the tests. It turned out that Gramp’s heart was sturdy as an ox, with no sign of either a heart attack or pending heart trouble. The doctor had decided to release him, seeming pleased that he was staying with Rachel and Charles for a few days.

Steve, relieved by the news, told his parents, “I’ll be at the house when you get him home. I haven’t seen Gramps but once since I’ve been back.”

“I’m going to get the kids,” Megan said. “Let me know how Gramps is doing.”

Rachel hugged Megan. “I will, honey. I’m sure everything will be fine.”

That spark of optimism gave Steve a pang of unease. Maybe it was having survived a crazed gunman in the morning or maybe it was just unsteady nerves from his military stint. Whatever, it was, it was proving hard to shake.

On impulse, he decided to drop by Gramps’ place on the way to his parents’ house. What if the old man had been right and someone had been lurking around?

Steve knew he probably wouldn’t find anything. Yet it would ease his mind to take a look.