Undercover Justice (32 page)

I sighed; apparently a change of subject wasn’t going to happen anytime soon.

“If I have to,” I said crossly.

“I’m glad to see you up and about,” Jed said coming over to sit by me. He wrapped his arm around me and gave me a light squeeze. Seeing the look on my dad’s face, he dropped his arm and sat up straighter putting distance between us.

I could tell Jed wasn’t happy about it, but had decided, now wasn’t the time to announce that we were together.

“I’m sure it won’t take long, Nora,” Kent said, as he sat down across from Jed and me.

“I know, I just want to get on with it. Martin is in jail. I am fine.”

“Which we are all very thankful for,” Mom said.

The sound of cars pulling up signaled the arrival of the police. “Why don’t I go greet them,” Jed volunteered, getting to his feet.

“Thanks, Jed,” Kent said for all of us. I don’t think any of us were quite ready to face the fact that the police were at our home. We were the type of family who never had to deal with the police. Ever.

It seemed like only a matter of minutes, before Jed came around the corner with Detective Cooper and a female EMS worker. She was probably in her early forties, with neatly kept chin length dark hair. She had friendly eyes and a pleasant smile. I guess Jed didn’t forget about that medical exam after all. I had been hoping that because we had come straight home instead of going to the hospital, I was going to be able to avoid it.

“Good evening, Nora,” Detective Cooper said, “Are these your parents?”

“Yes, Detective. These are my parents, Rachel and Jack Barton.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Detective Cooper with the Pine Hill Police Department. I am in charge of investigating this case. I’m sorry I had to meet you under these circumstances.”

“That’s quite alright Detective Cooper. Please won’t you sit down,” Mom offered. “And you also Ms…?” she asked, looking at the woman standing next to him.

“Mrs. Carpenter,” she replied. “But please call me Liz.”

“Thank you Liz,” Mom said graciously.

“Liz,” Detective Cooper said, “Would you mind, taking Nora inside and checking her over, while I interview these two. I am sure the Barton’s have a room that would provide a little more privacy. Also, I’m afraid that I am going to have to ask you to leave Mr. and Mrs. Barton, while I conduct my interviews. I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

“Of course,” My dad said standing up. “Come on Rachel, let’s leave the detective to do his work.”

“Why don’t you order a few pizza’s for dinner. I am sure we are all going to be starved,” Mom suggested.

“Great idea.”

“Order a few extra please dad, I invited our friends Charlotte and Ollie to come over. They want to make sure Nora is all right too. Is that ok, Nora?” Kent asked.

“Sure, I am glad you called them.” Turning to Liz, I said, “Why don’t we use my room. It’s right this way.” As we got up to go inside, I turned and gave Jed the best evil eye I could manage, for making me go through this. He just winked at me. The nerve!

I stomped inside. I truly tried not to, but I am afraid I may have expressed my annoyance with childish stomping. It was confirmed when I heard a soft chuckle from Jed, as I shut the screen door behind us.

Shaking my head, I led Liz up the stairs to my room.

“Don’t worry, it won’t be that bad. I just have a few questions to ask you and then, I will take your vitals.”

I answered her questions as clearly as I could. I got to the part about being given something to knock me out, and I saw her eyes narrow. Great. I could tell what she was thinking, before she even spoke.

“I’m going to need to take a blood sample, so that we can know what you were given. That way, we’ll know if there will be any lingering effects, we will need to address.”

I hate getting my blood drawn. It’s not that I am afraid of needles. I’m really not. I just have very small veins that make it hard for them to get my blood. I usually end up getting poked a few times before they find a good vein.

Knowing I wasn’t going to be getting out of it, I sat on my computer chair and rolled up my sleeve.

“I’ll make this as painless as possible, I promise,” Liz told me with a kindly smile.

A knock on my door startled us as Liz was tying the rubber band thing around my upper arm.

“Come in,” I called out, expecting my mom.

Jed opened the door and step inside. “Detective Cooper is ready for you.”

“Oh, great! I’ll be right there,” I said, starting to get up.

Jed took in what was happening with one glance and strode over to me. “I don’t think so,” he said, forcing me back into my seat with a tiny shove. “Don’t tell me you’re a chicken when it comes to getting your blood drawn. A tough girl like you?”

“I’m not scared. I just don’t think it’s necessary,” I said defensively.

“You’re not going anywhere until you let her draw your blood. “

“Oh yeah, what are you going to do about it? You’re not going to be in here.”

Jed arched an eyebrow. “Watch me.” He shut the door behind him and stood against it with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Oh fine,” I said sticking my arm out again.

“I am pretty good at this part,” Liz assured me.

I have to admit that she was pretty good. She managed to get my blood the first time around with only a slight fishing expedition.

“All done,” she said putting a piece of cotton on my injection site and taping it down with a band-aid.

“We’re all set here. I’ll let them know you will be right down,” she said gathering her supplies and saying goodbye.

When we were alone, Jed walked toward me. I felt a little shy all of a sudden. That is until Jed gently took my arm and pulled me up out of the chair and into his arms.

Sighing, I wrapped my arms around his waist and held on.

“I prayed the whole time we were searching for you that you would be ok,” he whispered into my hair. “It was almost like I could feel Him listening.”

“Thank you, Jed. That means a lot to me,” I said reaching up on my toes to put a kiss on his cheek. “He was listening, God is always right there whenever we need him.”

“You mean a lot to me,” Jed confessed. “When I think about what could have happened...”

“It didn’t,” I interrupted. “You and Kent saved me. Just like you said you would.”

“You’re trouble, do you know that,” Jed said lightly kissing my lips. Pulling back he looked me in the eyes. “But I wouldn’t have you any other way.”

Smiling, I leaned up to kiss him back and teased, “It’s a good thing I have such a good fairy godmother here to look out for me.”

“Now wait a minute here. Who are you calling a fairy godmother?” Jed asked playfully, tickling my side.

Laughing, I danced out of his reach.

“Nora!” my mom called.

“Ah Oh! Busted,” Jed said laughing.

Busted was right. Now I had to go downstairs with Jed. It was going to be obvious that we had been up here in my room all alone. How embarrassing.

“I’m coming Mom,” I called down.

“Let’s go get this interview over with so that we can be ready to dig into the pizza your dad is having delivered. I am starving.”

Together, we walked downstairs expecting to be reprimanded by my parents for being up there together alone. Instead I walk into the kitchen to find both of them on the phone looking frazzled.

Shrugging, I started to head out onto the deck when I heard my mom say, “She’s fine. No she doesn’t want an interview for the Pine Hill Gazette.”

As she said it, she arched an eyebrow at me, silently asking me.

Quickly, I shook my head no. “That’s right,” my mom said, “Goodbye.”

Hanging up the phone, she said, “The phones have been ringing off the hook with people wanting to know what happened to you and if you will do a interview.”

“Sorry about that mom. Thanks for handling them,” I said grateful that she understood my need not to talk to anyone else right now.

“That’s what we’re here for dear. You go on out and talk to Detective Cooper. The pizza should be here soon.”

“Thanks mom,” I said, stepping out onto the porch where Detective Cooper just finished talking to Kent.

“Thanks Kent,” he said shaking Kent’s hand.

Nodding, Kent turned to Jed and me, “I’m just going to step inside. Charlotte sent me a text saying they were almost here.”

“Ok,” I said sitting down across from the Detective who was seated at the patio table.

“Jed! Can you come inside for a minute?” My mom called out the door.

“Yes Ma’am,” Jed called back getting up. “I’ll be right back.”

Detective Cooper was very easy to talk to. It helped a lot that he already knew most of what was going on.

A few minutes later Jed came out carrying a tray of ice water and several slices of pizza. Handing me a glass of water, he offered a glass and plate of pizza to Detective Cooper.

“Thanks, don’t mind if I do. I haven’t had time to eat my dinner yet and that smells good.”

“Thanks Jed,” I said smiling.

“I just carried it out here. Your mom did all the work.”

“I know, but you carried it so well,” I teased.

Chuckling, Jed reached for a huge piece of pizza and took a big bite.

“Miss. Barton, please if you wouldn’t mind, I would like you to walk me through the time you woke up and what you overheard the men talking about again. I want to make absolutely sure that I have everything.”

It took probably thirty minutes to go over and over my story until Detective Cooper was satisfied. We had heard Charlotte and Ollie pull up about twenty minutes ago, and I was anxious to get back inside.

“That should do it. Thank you for your time,” he said getting up. “Please don’t hesitate to call me if you should remember anything else.

“I won’t. Thank you detective,” I said standing up.

“Can I have a word with you, Greyson?” Detective Cooper asked Jed.

“Of course, Detective,” Jed said following the detective towards his car.

Once they were out of earshot. Jed said, “Tell the Lieutenant that I will be in later tonight to turn in my report and talk to him. He’s on until eleven right?

“Yeah, I’ll let him know,” Coop said getting into his car and rolling the window down. “That girl of yours got lucky. I’d try to keep her and her nice family as far away from this as you could.”

“Thanks for the advice. That’s why it’s going to be a while, before I get back to the station. I’m going to go in there and try to talk some sense into them. The whole group of kids feel like its their mystery to solve. In a way, I guess it is.”

“I hear you. They just don’t know who their dealing with here. We don’t even know who we’re dealing with here.”

“I’ll let you know if I find anything else out,” Jed said, thumping the roof in goodbye as the detective started backing out of the driveway.

They both knew that kids, especially teenagers often knew a lot more than they let on, either intentionally, or unintentionally. They were usually a font of information.

Jed turned and headed back up the drive to the back patio where Nora was standing there watching as the Detective drove away.

“I was just going to head in to say hi to Charlotte and Ollie. Are you going to stay for a little bit?” I asked Jed hopefully, as he approached.

“Yeah, I’ll stay for a little bit,” Jed said holding open the door for me as we walked back into the house.

“Nora!” Charlotte exclaimed, jumping up from the couch and running over to give me a hug. “I am so glad you are alright. That was so scary. I’m so glad that awful man was caught.”

“Glad your ok,” Ollie said, coming over to stand by me. I could tell he wanted to hug me, but thought I might find it weird. So I took the initiative and gave him a little hug.

“I really am ok,” I said, taking a seat on the couch.

Charlotte and Ollie went back to their seats and Jed sat down next to me on the couch.

“I have a few things I would like to talk about first,” Jed said

We all looked at him expectantly; waiting to hear what he had to say.

“I think that this is getting too dangerous. I think we should consider letting the police handle it from now on,” he said looking at each of us, especially Kent.

We sat back, silent. I don’t think any of us expected him to suggest that.

“But Martin is finally caught,” Charlotte said. “Aren’t we out of danger? For the most part?”

“Yes and no,” Jed said, standing up to pace. “He seemed to have a thing out for Nora and me, so that threat was eliminated. But now we have the rest of the secret Order and its members. Have you filled them in on it Kent?”

At Kent’s nod, Jed continued. “Specifically the one who ordered the hits on the boys. Which we can assume was the Director. If not, then someone in the Elite Five.”

“This is our case,” Ollie protested. “We have made more progress than the police have,” he said, looking pointedly at Jed.