Page 40 of Heart of a Hero

“And how did she take it?” Harlon asked.

“I think she’s more resilient than the rest of us,” Conrad told him. “So let’s all have a good holiday break. People may talk, but they are going to be busy with Christmas and New Year’s, and they’ll have better things to do than worry about whatever Lester said.”

“Okay,” Harlon agreed, and they left his office.

“I know you probably have things you need to do, but come on over once you’re done if you like. I have to go back to the office for a little while to check on things, and then I’ll be home.”

“What about Lizzie?”

“I think we need to explain to her what’s going on and why. She needs to hear it from both of us. If there is any fallout, then we’ll need to deal with it.”

“Okay. I’ll be about an hour,” Forrest told him and headed off down the hall toward his classroom. Conrad left the school and went back to the office.

“I TAKE it you had one heck of a day,” Mom said when he picked up Lizzie. “You look like—”

“Yeah, Mom. Got it in one. Lester apparently has decided that today is the day for him to go off the rails completely. The police are after him, and he outed Forrest and me at his school. I was in the principal’s office, so we need to talk to Lizzie tonight.”

“Do you need me to be there?” she asked and made a face.

“No.”

“Good. I think you can handle this on your own.” She patted his shoulder, and Conrad got Lizzie bundled up and they left his mother’s to walk next door.

“Is it Christmas tomorrow?” Lizzie asked as snow fell around them.

“Not until Tuesday. So you have a few more days. I have to work part of the day on Monday, and then I’ll be off the rest of the week. You and I can play together.”

“Okay.” She pulled away and skipped down the sidewalk, trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue.

“At least you get to see your daughter.” Lester’s gruff voice startled him, and Conrad reached for Lizzie and held her to him.

“What do you want?” He wished he had his phone in hand so he could call the police. Conrad did glance back toward his mother’s as the front curtains parted. He met her gaze for a second, hoping she got the message. Thankfully she held up her phone, and Conrad nodded slightly as the curtains fell back into place.

“I want my life back. I want to see my daughter and have my family and my job back.” Lester’s eyes were wide, and he seemed jittery. “I didn’t deserve this.” He stepped closer. “I know you did this to me.”

“I don’t even know your daughter,” Conrad said, figuring he had to concentrate on the most outlandish part of what Lester was saying. “And I’ve never met your family. So how could I have taken them away from you?” he asked. Lester’s mind seemed to get off track, because he blinked and looked at Conrad like he was suddenly lost.

“You took my job away from me,” he blurted out and smiled slightly, like he just managed to remember what he was so angry about.

“Daddy,” Lizzie said and pressed closer to him. Conrad held her close, ready to protect her with everything he had. He couldn’t see a weapon, but that didn’t mean that Lester didn’t have one. Still, he watched him closely. Lester’s left hand shook a little and he had his right jabbed into his pocket. He hoped the police got there soon. Carlisle wasn’t that big, and he could sure use some help.

A car pulled to a stop across the street, and Forrest got out. “What’s going on?”

“Lester here was just airing all his grievances, because apparently I’m to blame for all the stupid things he did in his life. You see, he lost his job because of me, and not because he talked all the time and never did any actual work… or maybe it was because he broke into the email server to delete messages.” He glared at Lester as sirens sounded in the distance, getting closer fast.

Lester seemed to panic, and he ran across the street and through a gap between two of the houses. The police vehicles pulled to a stop, and officers got out. “I believe you have been looking for Lester Drovers. He just ran between the houses right through there,” Forrest said as he put an arm around Conrad and drew Lizzie into the hug as well. “It’s going to be okay. Why don’t you go into the house? It will be warmer.”

Conrad nodded, not able to believe that he’d popped off like that to someone who was clearly deranged. He should have kept his mouth shut, but Lester made him so angry. Still…. He went inside and closed the door. Forrest stayed outside with an officer for a while. Then he joined them out of the cold. A knock told them that the police were ready with their questions.

“You can go play if you want,” Conrad told Lizzie, who shook her head and sat right next to him on the sofa, unwilling to be separated from him. “It’s okay. He isn’t going to hurt you.”

Forrest let the officers inside, and they went through introductions before Conrad explained what Lester had told him and their history together.

“Did he seem like he had been taking anything?” one of the officers asked.

Conrad hesitated. “Not that I’m an expert, but yeah, he might have been. His one hand shook, and his eyes seemed kind of wild. A few times he forgot what he was saying and sort of stood there.” Conrad hugged Lizzie and looked at Forrest.

“Why don’t you come with me? You and I can make something to eat.”