The presidential suite consisted of at least four rooms. Along with the bedroom, there was a living room, a dining room, and a kitchen. She found Jess, Jake, Meg, Gabe, and Jamie sitting at a dining table. Ben was in the small kitchen. The conversation at the table was jumping from rehashing the football game, to Jess and Gabe’s upcoming trip to Italy, to plans for shopping in the morning.
Meg had her back to the rest of the suite and didn’t see Lane. She quietly asked, “Jamie, what time is your statement about the incident?”
The incident. That’s what Meg had called it. Lane closed her eyes. That was as good a word as any, for some lunatic murderer assaulting her baby boy.
Gabe cleared his throat as he stood up, and Meg turned to see Lane. “Lane, did you sleep well?” She’d known Lane for several years now, and they’d been close. The woman she knew wouldn’t be upset about the question she’d asked, but Meg still wished she hadn’t mentioned it in front of Lane anyway.
Lane smiled, “Yes. It was a nice nap.” She looked at Jamie, “When are you giving your statement?”
“Dad scheduled it for nine o’clock in the morning.” He glanced down at his watch. “Guess I should be heading to my room.”
Jamie started to get up, but Lane raised her hand in the halt motion to stop him. Lane sat at the table and looked at her son, “I imagine you’re tired of telling the story, but before you head off for bed, I’d like to hear what happened.”
Jamie nodded and told her about Evans coming out of nowhere and pinning him to the wall. He told his mother about the struggle, and how he subdued the older man. He finished with, “Those martial arts classes sure came in handy tonight.”
Ben came into the dining area and bent to kiss the top of Lane’s head. He held a plate of salmon and vegetables in one hand. In his other hand, he held a bottle of sparkling white grape juice and a glass. He placed the plate and the glass on the table in front of Lane. He opened the bottle and poured the non-alcoholic beverage into the glass before sitting next to his wife.
“Guess we should be going too,” Jake said as he took Meg’s hand. “I’ll walk you to your room.”
Jess looked at Gabe, “That’s probably our cue.” Jess tilted her head toward the door Jake and Meg had just exited through, “But they haven’t had a minute alone so far this trip. And since Meg and I are sharing a room, let’s give them a few minutes.” She looked at her mother. “So are you shopping for anything in particular tomorrow at Frontenac?”
Lane laughed, “You know there’s no sense in me shopping for anything right now.”
Jess knew that Lane was referring to her current “not quite ready for maternity clothes” waistline. Jess knew she’d be shopping for shoes with that new black Amex.
Lane continued to eat her late night dinner as Ben, Jess, and Gabe continued to chat. It seemed with this pregnancy, all she did was eat and sleep. Emphasis on sleep.
Lane looked at Ben. “So if Jamie’s statement is scheduled for nine o’clock, I guess that means the rest of us are on our own for breakfast. What time do you think you’ll be finished?” She asked as she carried her dishes and silverware toward the kitchen.
“I don’t expect it to take more than an hour.” He smiled that million watt Bellini smile, “You know how it goes. We should be able to meet you at Frontenac long before lunch time.”
Jess nudged Gabe. “We’ve given the love birds half an hour. That should be enough time for them to have said good-night.”
Lane hugged Jess. “I’ll call you in the morning so we can meet for breakfast.”
“That’ll work, Nana Evie told me to call her when we were ready.” Jess looked at Gabe and titled her head toward the door. “Come on, Greer. You need your beauty rest.”
As the door closed, Ben wrapped his arms around Lane. “I was beginning to think we’d never be alone.”
He began nuzzling her neck as he reached down, swept her into his arms, and carried her toward the bedroom. “I love the family, but I’ve been looking forward to a nice romantic night with my wife.”
Lane snuggled closer and began working the buttons on his polo shirt. She’d been looking forward to some quality alone time herself.
Chapter 32
Tanner met Ben and Jamie in the lobby at 8:30 a.m. He gave them the keys to his SUV and arranged to meet them at the hotel when they were finished.
As he drove, Ben looked at his son. “It’ll be pretty much the same process as the statement you gave in K.C. earlier in the week. You won’t have to go over any of the background, just tell them what happened last night.”
Jamie nodded; they’d gone over this last night. His phone had been burning up half the night with text messages and phone calls from friends and teammates but he’d ignored them just as Ben had told him. Ben had told him it was important not to talk to anyone else until after he’d given his official statement. It was still surreal; Lucas Evans’ father tried to poison Justin and killed Coach Ferguson just to ensure Lucas was able to secure a scholarship.
“They’ll type up your statement and have you sign it. They’ll take him back to K.C. to for arraignment on the murder charge, probably an attempted murder charge too for Justin. In addition, if he doesn’t cop a plea, you’ll have to testify at the trial. If he’s smart, he’ll take whatever the DA offers though.”
“Dad, what’s going to happen to Lucas? None of this is his fault.”
Ben smiled at Jamie. “Bambino, there are rules for everything. Society can’t function without them. Lucas’ dad tried to take a short cut and when rules are broken, people usually get hurt. Sadly, it’s often an innocent bystander. It might take a while, but Lucas and the rest of his family will be okay.”
Epilogue
On Saturday morning, Jamie and his father went to the St. Louis Police headquarters, where Jamie made his statement. Much to Lucas Evans’ chagrin, assault charges were not being filed against Jamie Parker; they were being filed against him. He had hit Jamie first; Jamie had only acted in self-defense. Then there were those annoying first-degree murder and attempted murder charges in Kansas City. Jamie would have to testify unless a public defender could convince Evans to take a plea. For now, though, Jamie and his siblings were safe.
Lane and Ben had flown to Chicago to tell Phillip Parker that Jamie wasn’t really his son. After Phillip left Lane for Ralphie, the real love of his life, he hadn’t had much involvement with his children. And, while Lane felt she needed to tell Phillip that Jamie wasn’t his son, she was fairly certain that he wouldn’t be upset by the revelation.
Now, here she sat with Ben, in a restaurant at the Hanover Hotel in Chicago. They were waiting to meet Phillip and his fiancé Ralphie, so they could break the news. Lane, who was an executive officer at a wireless telecommunications company, had survived union negotiations, multiple lay-offs, a couple of mergers, and years of rearing teenagers, but she’d never been in a situation like this before. She had rehearsed, re-written, and re-rehearsed the speech in her head multiple times over the last several hours. And, if she was honest with herself, she still had no real idea of what she was going to say.
While she’d spoken to Phillip concerning the Parker Kids over the years, she hadn’t seen him since the night he walked out of the bedroom they had shared. He hadn’t even shown up at the divorce hearing, he’d only sent his lawyer. Lane had just finished telling Ben that she wasn’t even sure she’d recognize him when she saw him across the room.