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The man missing half his ear charged the intruder, and was rapidly and efficiently also beaten into unconsciousness. He dropped to the sidewalk and lay still next to the fallen Gene.
Jack and DuBose’s savior stepped over the prostrate figures, as the fire trucks arrived and the firemen began battling the flames.
He held out his hand and helped DuBose to her feet. “You okay, ma’am?”
She nodded dumbly, amazed by the immense strength in the man’s grip, as well as mesmerized by a pair of intense eyes she had seen before, on someone else.
“Good.” He knelt down next to Jack. “Man, I haven’t seen your butt go down like that since we played John Marshall High School in the state championship.”
Jack rose up on his elbows, turned, and looked at the speaker, his jaw descending in shock.
“Long time no see, big brother,” drawled Jefferson Lee.
CHAPTER 60
I GOT ME A LAWYER UP in Canada. He specializes in workin’ out these types of situations. And I knew some things that the Army had done that, well, that they wouldn’t want to see the light of day,” Jeff Lee told Jack, his parents, and DuBose back at the Lees’ home. “So we reached us a deal.”
“So they can’t arrest you now that you’ve come back?” said his mother anxiously.
“I got my general discharge papers. I’m good to go, Momma.”
“How come you’re back now, son?” asked Frank.
His youngest boy turned somber eyes on his father. “Heard about Lucy. When I got here, all the lights were out and nobody answered my knock. I remembered where Jack had his place, so I went over there.”
“Good thing you did, or else we’d be dead,” said Jack. “As it is, my apartment and office are gone. But they’ve arrested Gene Taliaferro for arson and attempted murder. He was one of the deputies who arrested Jerome.” He turned to his parents. “And the other man was the one who hurt Lucy. He admitted it right to our faces. He’s going to prison, for life.”
“Still too good for the bastard,” snapped his father. “But what you gonna do now, Jack? You got the trial comin’ up.”
“You can stay here,” said his mother immediately. “You and Jefferson can have your old room. And Desiree can stay in Lucy’s room.”
“Mrs. Lee,” said DuBose, “I can’t possibly impose like that. Especially not at a time like this.”
“You can and you will. And you can use the garage as your office. I’m sure Francis can fix it up for you.”
Frank scratched his chin. “They got some old desks and chairs at work. They were just gonna throw ’em away. I can get it done tomorrow.” He eyed the clock on the wall. “Well, I guess it already is tomorrow.”
Jeff said, “And I’ll stick around here in case anybody else tries somethin’. You still got your guns, Daddy?” When Frank nodded, he added, “We better make sure they’re ready to go.”
Jack said, “Now we just need to find some other clothes. The rest of ours got burned up. Lucky I had time to grab a pair of pants, my wallet, and your purse.”
DuBose’s face fell. “Oh. That’s right.” She looked down at the nightgown she was still wearing, though one of the firemen had given her a blanket to put around her.
Hilly said, “I’ve got some things you can use, Desiree; we’re about the same size. Now, let’s all get some sleep. Breakfast will be ready at nine. Which will be here before we know it.”
Jack could tell that all this activity had given his mother a reprieve from her grief, allowing her to focus her energies on something other than her dead child.
Later, they sleepily met downstairs in the dining room, where they were greeted with fried eggs, bacon, ham, grits, biscuits, and hot coffee. Looking at his mother, Jack wasn’t sure the woman had even been to sleep. But she swept around the kitchen and dining room full of vigor.
They ate their fill, and Frank went off with Jeff in his truck. Two hours later they came back with two desks, two chairs, a filing cabinet, and a chalkboard.
They unloaded it all and set it up in the garage.
“I can run a phone line out to the garage,” said Frank. “And you can use the telephone we keep in the bedroom for out here.”
“Thank you, that’s very kind,” said DuBose, who was wearing a pair of Hilly’s jeans, and one of the woman’s blouses.
Later that day, as they were organizing their files and setting their office up in the garage, they heard a car pull up into the driveway and someone honked a horn.
