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“Do you mind if I bring my boss?” Kasem asked. “He’s a contractor and will be able to assess the renovation price.”
“By all means.”
At night, Royce texted Susan.
Thinking of you non-stop. I miss you like hell. Without you I’m lost.
Can’t wait to see you.
Goodnight. Love you forever. R.
***
The next day went according to plan. Kasem’s boss advised him to choose the house in Montgomery and even helped him make an offer and barter the price. Royce left the three men discussing renovations and pricing, and drove to the police station to meet Officers Grant and Cortez.
“Hey, lover boy.” Cortez’s greeting got on his nerves, but he tried to control his temper.
“I would like to know how this ended on your part,” he said.
“We stopped by General Clark’s house,” Officer Grant said. “I explained that Dr. Winston asked his sons, both of them, to regularly check on the house. I told him it was one of them arranging things inside. He apologized for disturbing us but added he’s a good friend of Dr. Winston and wouldn’t want any harm to come to his friend’s house in his absence.”
“He also told us that Dr. Winston’s older son was a respectable successful surgeon.” Officer Cortez snorted. “General Clark added, ‘Not like the younger kid, that skunk Royce, the black sheep of the family.’ We knew who he was talking about. And that was all. No arrest done. No report filed.”
Royce burst out laughing. “A reformed black sheep, but the nasty label is difficult to peel off. Thanks, Officers. If you need help fixing your computers, give me a call. Here’s my card.”
“Great. We can use your services.” Cortez pocketed the card.
“By the way, where’s your sleeping bag now?” Snorting, Officer Grant arched his eyebrows.
“The sleeping bag? Damn it, I forgot it in the basement. My girlfriend was so upset and in a rush to go. I’ll be out of town next week, but I’ll retrieve it when I return.”
“Give us a call before you go. We’ll make sure no one complains about intruders again.”
“I will. Have a good evening.”
On Monday, Royce left for Indianapolis. In the evening, Kasem called him to announce that his offer had been accepted, and that his boss had agreed to let him buy the material at the company’s discounted price. They would work on a plan to renovate the house soon. Royce sent him the funds for the down payment.
Apparently, Tracy had squealed with delight when he’d sent her a picture of the house and the front yard. But he was waiting to receive the ring before inviting her over for dinner.
On Thursday evening, Kasem called him, begging for privacy in the condo on Friday. The beautiful ring had arrived, and he wanted to put it to good use right away.
Lucky Kasem. Royce’s love life was still in limbo. He texted Susan every night with a different love message, and she invariably responded with a simpleGoodnight.But he never mentioned he was helping Kasem and Tracy.
