Leann Sweeney - The Cat, the Wife and the Weapon

My mouth went dry. I didn’t like the looks of him.

The man came all the way up to my car, rested both hands on the driver’s-side window and stared in at me.

On another day, I might have rolled down the window and talked to this stranger. After all, folks made wrong turns down my street all the time and needed directions. Today, however, my gut was telling me this person didn’t need directions.

I reached for my phone on the seat next to me. Thank goodness I automatically put it close when I’m driving alone. An old habit, one I appreciated right now.

“Can I help you?” I called loud enough for him to hear. I slid the arrow on the phone’s screen and pressed the phone button, ready to make a call. I was sure he’d seen me do this, but he didn’t make any move to leave.

“They said you have my boy,” the man said.

My stomach clenched. Fear can be a gift, I’d read, one that leads you to make the right decisions. Something about this man put me on high alert. I was just about to tap the speed dial number for Mercy PD when I heard the short blast of a car horn. In the side mirror, I saw Kara getting out of her car.

I wanted to yell, “No,” but it was too late. The man had moved away from my van when he heard the horn, so I opened the door and got out, still clutching my phone. I couldn’t cringe in my car while Kara was confronting this stranger.

A Belle’s Beans cup in her left hand, Kara walked up to the man and held out her right hand. “I’m Kara Hart. Who are you?”

This is exactly the sort of thing her father would do in a touchy situation, I thought.

The man tilted his head and stared through narrowed eyes, ignoring her hand. “They told me the name was Jillian Hart, not Kara.”

She dropped her hand. “ Who told you?” she said evenly.

Always the questioner, Kara’s even tone not only quieted my nerves, but seemed to do the same for this man.

His expression grew less wary. “The people in the diner. They said I just missed you, that Finn was with you.”

Kara briefly looked my way and said, “I didn’t catch your name.”

“Rory Gannon. Now, where’s my boy?” he said.

Finn’s biological father . How did the so-called phantom end up in Mercy? This can’t be a coincidence.

“Kara,” I said, trying to match her cool amicability. “This is Finn’s father.”

I saw a hint of confusion cloud her face for an instant, but then she was back on her game. She smiled. “Okay. Finn’s father . When did you get into town, Mr. Gannon?”

He ignored her question and looked at me. “Are you Jillian or is she the one I need to talk to?”

“I’m Jillian.”

“Is he with you?” he said.

“I’m sorry, but no,” I said.

This obviously wasn’t what he wanted to hear. His agitation was evident in eyes that darted everywhere. His gaze finally settled on my van.

I stepped away from the driver’s door and gestured toward it. “Go ahead and look if you don’t believe me.”

He took me up on the offer while Kara and I exchanged “what the heck is going on?” glances.

Once he’d assured himself Finn was not in my car, he walked over and checked out her new hybrid SUV. Finally satisfied we didn’t have Finn stashed away somewhere, he returned to us.

“Finn wasn’t with you in the restaurant? ’Cause some waitress said you had a teenage boy sitting with you,” he said.

I knew better than to give up any information to this strange man. “Can I ask how you ended up in our little town looking for your son—and found me?”

“You can ask all you want.” He stared past me at my front door. “Is he in your house hiding from me?”

“Why would he hide from you?” Kara asked.

This question seemed to fluster Gannon. “He doesn’t know me too well, is all.”

“Does he even know you a little bit?” I made sure the question sounded sincere and not like an accusation, since he’d apparently never been a part of Finn’s life.

“What’s it to you?” Gannon said. “He’s my flesh and blood, so you better tell me where I can find him. I deserve to know.”

That’s debatable, I thought. But I wasn’t about to get him any more riled up than he already was, so I said, “I wish I could tell you, but I’m not sure where your son is.” Not exactly where he was, anyway.

He stepped toward me. “You’re lying.”

Kara moved between Gannon and me. “You need to leave, sir.”

Why was she acting like she could take him on? This guy was obviously a loose cannon. Feeling afraid for both of us now, I pressed the speed dial number—something I should have done immediately. “Is this the Mercy Police Department?” I said, loud enough to send a message to Rory Gannon.

B.J. said, “Jillian? Something wrong?”

“I’d like to report a trespasser,” I said.

Gannon said, “You’re siccing the police on me when you’re probably a kidnapper?”

“Am I hearing the voice of your trespasser?” B.J. said.

“Yes. You know the address,” I answered.

“Does he have a weapon?” B.J. said.

“Not that I know of,” I answered.

“I’m sending someone now,” B.J. said.

Kara’s hands were on her hips and I saw no trace of fear in her body language. She said, “I suggest you leave while you can.”

“I get it. You’re hiding him and you’re determined to keep him from me.” He pointed at me. “I’ll be back.”

Rory Gannon jogged to his car and drove off.

I still held my phone to my ear and was listening to B.J. dispatching a squad car. I said, “He left, B.J., but I got his plate.” I rattled off the numbers. “His name is Rory Gannon and he’s Finn’s biological father.”

“ Him? Uh-oh,” B.J. said. “He—he said he was Finn’s father and seemed nice enough, so I told him where y’all went for lunch. Guess I screwed up.”

“Does Candace know he’s in town?” I asked. She surely would have interviewed Gannon if that were the case.

“She will in a minute. I am so sorry if he bothered you, Mrs. Hart. He seemed nice, real polite,” B.J. said.

“I guess he forgot his manners on the drive over here,” I said. “Better let both Candace and the chief know about him as soon as you can.” Poor B.J. had so much to learn and was such a good kid, I couldn’t be upset with his mistake. Candace might not be so forgiving, however.

“I’ll talk to them right away. Let me correct my dispatch to a BOLO. If Mr. Gannon comes back, call me and I promise to do better.” He sounded so down in the mouth I felt terrible for him.

“You take care, B.J. No harm, no foul.” I disconnected.

While I’d been talking to him, Kara had gotten into her SUV and rolled the window down. When I was off the phone, she said, “Not what I expected to find when I came back here. That guy’s seat is not in the full, upright position.”

“No kidding. But are you going somewhere?” I said.

“I’m not leaving, especially after a guy straight out of a bad movie just visited. Could you pull your car up so I can get closer to the back door? I did some serious damage at the mall and cleaned out the Piggly Wiggly.”

I pulled the van close to the garage, and after I took Yoshi out to relieve himself, I helped Kara empty the back of her SUV of the bags of groceries and the clothing purchases for Finn. I explained what little I knew about Rory Gannon. Yoshi and the boy cats, who seemed to have forged a truce while I’d been gone, sniffed at each sack of groceries. Yoshi was the more interested party, and once I located the dog food, I offered him a dish of kibble.